It's winter, and everything is quiet.

The winter sun shone on Art's face through the window on the second floor of the valley wooden castle, and he slowly opened his eyes and glanced sideways at Lottie, who was lying beside him.

"This half a month is not much easier than fighting~" Art gently rubbed his back and muttered in his heart.

Although it is inevitable that she will be ravaged by Lottie every day, Art is still extremely satisfied with her current life.

Looking back on the days when he led the army to the battle, he missed his wife at home all the time, hoping to end the war as soon as possible and return to the valley to reunite with his family. Now, that wish has finally come true.

Art turned slightly, took her strong arms and gently hugged Lottie in her arms. Looking at the woman in his arms, the love in his heart was faintly aroused.

Art gave Lottie a kiss on the forehead.

Lottie, who was asleep, slowly opened her eyes, her hands still on Art's waist.

"Honey, you're awake~"

Yat asked softly.

Lottie didn't speak, the corners of her mouth curled slightly, and she reached out her left hand and touched Arte's face lightly. Looking at this man who thinks about it day and night, Lottie's heart is as sweet as honey.

"Honey, I~" Lottie hesitated.

"Huh?" Art understood.

“…… Ah, Lottie, slow down! ”

…………

More than half a month after returning to the valley, Art plans to hold a grand banquet in the valley to celebrate the establishment of the province of New Wales. The county's dignitaries, representatives of the commoners, and other upstarts and old friends who had befriended Yate would be invited to attend.

For this banquet, the civil administration also sent special personnel to the north to purchase materials to make the banquet food as rich as possible. After all, all the dignitaries who came, and the food was too shabby, which inevitably made it seem that Arte, the earl of Wales, was too petty.

On the first floor of the Wooden Fort Hall in the Valley, Art was explaining to Cooper and the others about the banquet that would be held tomorrow.

“…… Ladies and gentlemen, you've been working hard lately. You put a lot of effort into preparing for the banquet for the establishment of the province of Wales. But I've always been a person who has made a lot of mistakes. After the banquet is over, I will give you the reward you deserve and let you rest for a few days~"

"In addition, tomorrow dignitaries from all over the country will come from all over the country, and those who cannot come will also send representatives. When the time comes, you must be hospitable, and do not neglect my guests. Since then, the province of Wales and the European comptoir have more or less come into contact with these people in many affairs, and make one more friend, which will be beneficial to us in the future. ”

"Sir, don't worry." Cooper said, "I've already arranged all of these things, and I'm sure you'll be happy with your guests." ”

"Cooper, I've been working hard for you all this time. When this is over, you will also rest for a while. You've been worrying about the construction of the valley for so long. Now that everything is settled, it's time for you to get some rest. ”

"Thank you~"

…………

Early the next morning, the people of the civil administration went to the reception hall with the guests who had arrived in the valley one after another, and first paid a visit to the Earl of Wales.

On the other hand, the people in the back kitchen are very busy. The vegetables and fruits prepared in advance for the banquet are set aside. Stewed wild boar with fragrant mixed fruits boiled in a cauldron, and the lord's private chef in charge of the staple food stirred constantly.

“…… Earl of Longxia, the gold coin is worth 10,000 pfen~"

"The commander of the second branch of the palace guard regiment...... pearl agate is worth seven thousand pfennig~"

In the side of the wooden fort, the servants who came with the guests handed over the gifts of their masters to the civil officials who were responsible for receiving the gifts one by one, and registered them. The room was already filled with hundreds of chests, large and small, worth about half a million pfennighs in gold.

In the hall of the lords, Yat, dressed in a mink coat, a gold silk belt, and cowhide boots, embraced all the nobles who came to the banquet to welcome them.

…………

At noon, the hall of lords was filled with dignitaries and dignitaries from all walks of life who had come to attend the grand banquet, including officers of the Welsh Regiment Company Captain and above, and officials of the Civil Affairs Department. Phoenix also brought Mrs. Galvin to the banquet.

At the head of the hall of the lords sat Lottie, Countess of Wales, and George Jr., the only son of the count.

"Everyone!"

Once everyone was seated, Art stood up and spoke.

"Today, take this opportunity from the formation of the province of Wales. I, Art. Wood. Wells, I feel extremely honored to be able to invite all of you here to attend this banquet held by the establishment of the province of Wales! ”

"The establishment of the province of Wales would not have been possible without the support of all of you here and your help to me. The main purpose of this banquet is to thank everyone for their support. From now on, you will be my brother to Art, and you will be my allies in the province of Wales! ”

"Today, let's take this rare opportunity not to get drunk and not go home!"

"If you don't get drunk, you won't go home!"

Everyone in the hall stood up and raised their glasses.

"!"

"!"

The crowd drank it all.

Then, music sounded, and men and women danced and sang in groups in the middle of the hall.

Art walked down the stairs, accompanied by Lottie, and clinked glasses to the dignitaries in attendance.

"God is with you, Lord Count, and I wish you and the Countess good health."

"Thank you, Jazz~"

"Countess, I have a foal of a good breed, and I will send it as a gift to the young master another day, what do you think?"

"Then I'll thank you for little George~"

"Phoenix!"

Art came to Phoenix and Mrs. Galvin.

"Brother-in-law, sister!"

"Mother!"

"Come, come and sit, Art."

"Mother, it is a great honor for me and Lotti to have you here. This time, you will stay longer and let Lottie accompany you. ”

"Good! Good! ”

Mrs. Galvin smiled from ear to ear.

"Lottie, you will be a countess and a mother in the future, you can't be as willful and naughty as before."

Mrs. Galvin said to her pampered daughter.

"Mother~"

Watching Lottie coquettish in front of Madame Galvin, everyone burst into laughter.

"Phoenix, take this opportunity to make friends with these people more, and you will be able to use them sooner or later."

Art teaches Phoenix how to treat people.

"I'll go, brother-in-law."

With that, Phoenix left with a wine glass~

…………

The banquet lasted three days. After bidding farewell to Arte one by one, the visiting guests left the valley with their attendants and servants.

Afterwards, the people of the valley and several of Arter's territories, such as Wincheston Manor, were also given a portion of the bread, bacon, and wine. As part of the Valley Lord, they deserve to be treated like this.

In addition, the garrisons of Fort Marsey and Beaune also celebrated after receiving the news of the establishment of the province of Wales~

…………

Beiguan Military Fort, the lively atmosphere of the previous few days gradually faded as the guests left in turn.

It had been more than a month since the Welsh legionnaires returned to the valley, and except for a brief rest before that, they returned to the valley and other villages to visit relatives, and were almost always stationed at the Beiguan military fort.

Now Art has returned to the valley and the fighting is over. It's time for these soldiers who were born and died with him to rest.

"Everyone!"

At the long table in the hall of the lord of the stone house, the high-ranking officers of the Welsh Legion sat on either side. This was the first military meeting held after Art's return to the valley.

"After you go down, make good arrangements, except for the soldiers who are standing on patrol, everyone will take ten days off."

"In addition, the soldiers' participation in the war will be rewarded first (the amount of non-combat military merit rewards is not large, and there are those who participate in the war. ）。 At the same time, Angus and Kazak were responsible for organizing the officers to calculate the military exploits of the legionnaires and officers and the corresponding war rewards. After the accounting is completed, it will be handed over to me for review, and then the civil affairs department will be responsible for the distribution. ”

As soon as they heard that the military reward was about to be distributed, the faces of the officers burst into smiles.

After the military discussion, Art left Angus and Kazak behind, and entrusted the two with carte blanche for the verification of military merits and the calculation of war rewards. Then he took Ron and a few personal guards and rode towards the wooden fort~

…………

The road from Beiguan Junbao to Gugu Mubao has been further repaired by the civil administration, and the road has become smoother and wider. Ditches were dug on both sides of the road to divert rainwater and prevent water from accumulating on the road. The pavement is also paved with a layer of small tamped gravel, which is no longer bumpy.

After arranging military affairs, Art was relaxed and walked leisurely on the road with Ron and the others.

"Ron, how was it last time?"

Art asked suddenly.

"Master, I've cleaned up that bastard. The bodies were thrown into a dung pit outside the county, and no one would ever know their whereabouts. ”

Art turned his head to look at Ron, very pleased with the squire who had followed him for years.

Ever since the family entered the valley, Ron had been by Art's side, working tirelessly. There were also several times when he almost lost his life to protect Art, and he still has a strange scar on his face. Almost everywhere Art went, this guy followed, never getting a short break. Now that everything has been decided, and Art has become an earl as he wished, it is time to give this henchman who sacrificed his life to protect himself a little sweetheart.

"Ron. Who have you been with me for many years, and I have hardly rested. Now that the war is settled, it's time for you to rest. ”

As soon as Ron heard that this meant not letting him follow Art's side, he immediately became anxious.

"Master, did I make you unhappy somewhere? Why are you kicking me away? ”

Ron stared at Art tightly, his face anxious.

"Kicking you away?"

Attler holds the reins.

"I mean give you some time to rest and get your daughter-in-law who hasn't passed through the door. Could it be that you still have to follow my ass on the day you get married. ”

"Much~ Thank you for your success!"

Ron blushed and his heart skipped a little.

"You're not too young, take advantage of this time to hurry up and get married. My wife and I will personally host for you! ”

"Go back and spend time with your family, I'll give Camille and Ollie a rest, and you can have a good reunion."

"Yes, sir!"

…………

Although all the affairs of the Legion were left to Angus and Kazak, Art was not idle. The province of Wales is newly established, and there are many things waiting for him to deal with.

Previously, there was still room for managing a valley Yat. Today, his fiefdom includes the whole of Tignac and the vast territory south of the valley realm, as well as the two fiefdoms of Beaune in the province of Saône and Fort Marci in Kodor.

Art shut himself up in his study all day, thinking about the province of Wales and the framework and development plan~

Knock ~ Knock Knock ~

"Come in!"

"Sir!"

Cooper came with several civil governors.

"Sit down."

Art put down the quill pen in his hand and rubbed his eyes.

"Sir, these are the civil officials you asked me to send to Fort Marci and Beaune."

Art took a sip of the wine he had in hand and refreshed himself. He said: "A few days ago, Odo sent a letter saying that the civil government urgently needed to send someone to take over the affairs of the two territories. As you know, the people stationed in both places are military chiefs who are not familiar with civil affairs. ”

"These two places are located at the western trade routes, and with the revival of commerce, more and more goods will flow through them. In addition, the European Comptoir will also establish cargo transfer stations in these two castles in the future, and their status is not known to you. ”

Yat looked at the people in front of him, all of whom were officials in charge of civil affairs in Tinets County, and they were relatively experienced.

"Master, don't worry, these people are personally checked by me, and they are the right people to be sent to the two places."

"Well, since you personally selected it Cooper, then I'm relieved. Go down and get ready, and set out early. ”

"Yes, sir."

…………

On a country road in a village in the valley, a young man and woman walk hand in hand toward a stream not far away.

"Ron, you haven't been gone for so long, don't you want to say something to me?"

"I~"

Along the way, Ron rarely spoke.

"What are you!"

Ollie shook off Ron's hand and walked west alone.

"Ollie!"

Ron hurried over to Ollie, his hands on his shoulders.

"You let go of me!"

Ollie struggled.

"Do you have another woman outside, and you can't look down on me as a country woman."

"How can you think that? I think about you all the time. I called you out today to tell you the good news. ”

"Good news?"

Ollie's face was full of anticipation.

"The lord said, let me rest for a while, he and his wife will personally officiate the wedding for us."

Ollie's pupils suddenly dilated, her face gradually became rosy, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

"Really?"

The young girl couldn't believe the sudden good news.

"Of course it's true!"

Ollie threw herself into Ron's arms and hugged him tightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

…………

By the stream, a pair of long-separated lovers snuggled up to each other, looking at the yellowed hills in the distance, breathing in the refreshing air.

The boy turned slowly, dragging the girl's chin and staring intently at the lover in front of him who wanted to take it home.

Slowly, the violent heartbeat of the two came, the breathing became more and more rapid, and the eyes were slightly closed~

"Brother!"

Camille's voice suddenly came~