On the eighth day after the Battle of the North, in the Wincheston Manor Mansion, Otto, the adjutant of the Legion, opened a piece of parchment with names and numbers written on it and presented it to Art, who was lying in a chair with his eyes closed.

"My lord, it has been identified, and an inventory of all those who have relatives in the West who can pay the ransom has been listed, and the task force will send someone to deliver the inventory and the letter requesting the ransom to Thorne. Together with the Western army captured at Wincheston Manor last month, a total of one hundred and fifty-five men, the ransom amounted to 286,000 pfennigs, and the food expenses depended on when their relatives came to pay the ransom, and then they would be put back after the ransom and room and board were paid together. The ransom for the Baron Connor and the five leading knights had to be negotiated with their families, and at the price offered to Bazel at the time, I thought it would have been 200,000 pfennigh to let them go. Otto couldn't help but smile at the thought that the ransom of four or five hundred thousand Fennigh would be collected one after another.

"But after an inventory of them, there are still fifty-three fellows who have neither money nor relatives, and they know that they will not be able to complete their salvation, so they ask to join our army. What do you think about it? ”

Yate's eyelids were half-opened, he reached out and took the parchment and glanced at it roughly, and said, "The ransom for ordinary soldiers is halved, and the ransom for officers is doubled." Those border army officers have more ways to make money in the local area, and they are not bad for money; Those Count's soldiers in Bernard were even more old soldiers, and their ransom was doubled for me. ”

"As for the minions who want to join the army, all of them will be sent back to the valley for Lawrence to be war slaves, and now the barony of the valley is busy with land reclamation and construction, and it is necessary to increase the war slaves, tell them, wait until they have passed the test of the construction officer, and then come to me to talk about joining the Welsh Legion."

It was customary for enemy prisoners of war to be taken under the command of the construction officials as war slaves, who worked day and night under the supervision of the construction officers and standing peasant soldiers, and could be punished or even beheaded if they were not careful.

Art refused to raise serfs in the valley, but war slaves were worse off than serfs, but Art did not let them be slaves forever, these people would be verified by the civil officials after two years, and if they passed the "reform", they would be restored to their status as free people.

The reason why Odo specifically asked whether these prisoners of war who could not redeem themselves could join the legion was because he also felt that these Western troops were quite good, much stronger than those who were born as civilian bandits. However, Art obviously did not intend to give special treatment to these Western military captives who were equipped with combat skills.

After explaining the problem of the disposal of prisoners of war, Odo reported to Art about the capture of the battlefield, "My lord, the profit and loss list of the entire battle has also been calculated - in this battle, our army has killed fifty-five people, seriously wounded twenty-seven, and slightly wounded fifty-eight people, mainly in the defense of Wincheston Manor and the battle in the north of the county, and the soldiers who intercepted the enemy's baggage team in the northland also lost eight or nine of them, including the newly attached soldiers under Redogan. In terms of weapons and materials, there were more than 70 battle-damaged weapons, 20 sets of armor, 3 war horses, and 17 dead and wounded horses. ”

Odo felt particularly bad when he thought of this battle loss, because most of the fifty-five soldiers killed in the battle were the price paid by the enemy army behind the palace in the first battle of the county north, and this battle loss was mainly caused by him, whether it was correct or not, he always had an indelible guilt in his heart.

Art also noticed the strangeness in Odo's tone, he opened his eyes and glanced at the subordinate who was standing in front of him to report, "Odo, you are a commander, you are only responsible for right and wrong on the battlefield, and battle damage is inevitable. ”

Otto knew that Art had blood dripping from his heart for the battle damage of the two First Banner teams in the past few days, and when Art said something about it, he was even more ashamed.

"Adult~Me~"

"That's enough, if you really feel guilty, train me more elite soldiers like two flag teams, so that they can defeat stronger opponents in the next battle!"

"Continue to report the battlefield profit and loss!" Art didn't let Otto continue to regret it.

"It's my lord. In this battle, we killed 97 enemies and captured 154 people. Two hundred and fifty sets of weapons and armor were captured, and it was estimated that more than 130 soldiers of the Welsh Legion could be assembled. Not many food supplies were captured, and when Sauron fled, he had all his military salaries and most of the baggage wagons taken with him, so we only captured eighteen wagons of food and supplies and the carriages of the horses. Everything else was very bits and pieces, nothing more than some tent felt cloth and tools for camping. ”

Such battlefield profits and losses will be counted and reported by Odo after each battle, so Art is also very relieved, the so-called "horn sounds, gold and silver 10,000 pounds" war is such a magical thing, he can make people bankrupt overnight or make people rich overnight, usually speaking, the winner's income is definitely greater than the battle damage, of course, the premise is not to count too much about the casualties of the soldiers.

Art is just a commander who cares about the life and death of small soldiers, so the rich profits can't offset the regret in his heart.

But it's just a pity, there is no war without killing in the world, his rise is destined to be paved with countless heads, and being able to make everyone die as they deserve is what Art strives to do.

Art got up and picked up a glass of wine from the wooden table and handed it to Otto, then poured himself a drink, "This is the first time that the Welsh Legion has fought against a regular professional soldier of the Legion, and it can be regarded as an experience for the Welsh Legion. In the past two days, you and the sergeant major have led the officers of the regimental command camp to settle the merits and sins of the soldiers and officers as soon as possible, and the punishment that deserves the punishment is the reward that should be rewarded. ”

Yate deliberately emphasized, "Don't worry about money, the military rewards that should be given according to military law must be paid in full, and we can't expect to rely on loyalty to maintain the fighting enthusiasm of the soldiers." ”

"By the way, the two Praetorian Legion soldiers sent by the Earl are placed separately, and I will ask Corondo if it is necessary to send the bodies of the two back to Besançon for burial with their relatives. As for Corondo~um~ temporarily transferred him to my regimental command camp and was responsible for training all the infantry. ”

"Yes! My lord, I know how to do it. Otto replied resolutely, and drank the wine from his glass.

After Otto left, Art had Father Robert, who was in the medical corps to assist Thomas, a military medic, in treating the wounded.

There are not many strategists around Art who can have a broad vision, but this Father Lawrence should be counted as one, he likes to study some new things that are not recognized by the world, but he is also talented in Game of Thrones, as a middle-aged man who grew up in the church, he not only knows Art's ambitions, but also has the same love for it, especially during the period when he followed the Paris Inquisition to deal with heresy in the country, he fully experienced the pleasure of power, which allowed him to open the door of another world.

"Father Robert, please be seated." Art stood up and raised his hand to signal Robert to sit on the wooden chair across from the desk.

Robert was still dressed in clergy clothes, and there were some blood stains under the cross on his chest, apparently from the medical team.

"My lord, what do you want me to do?" Robert sat down, he was very busy now, especially after Thomas's medical staff joined the army, he liked to watch Thomas use some strange medical skills to treat those soldiers who were about to die, this preference was not bound by his clerical status, in such a world imprisoned by darkness, this is the rarest innocence.

"Father Robert, I came to you for two things, one is that after the battle, many soldiers of the Wells Regiment were killed, except for those who have families in the valley who will be transported back to the valley for burial, I will arrange for the rest to be buried on the spot, so please preside over the funeral of the soldiers killed in the war and pray for Mass for the surviving soldiers, these things my political officer cannot do."

Robert nodded, "My lord, this is the duty of the military priest, even if you don't arrange it, I will do my best to do it." ”

Art affirmed a few words, and then continued: "The second question is to discuss with you the gains and losses of this battle and the possible consequences. Of course, you're not an army commander, and I'm not going to talk to you about commanding operations, I'm just going to ~um~ want to talk about things outside of the battlefield. ”

Robert pondered for a moment and asked, "My lord, are you talking about the power turmoil caused by this battle?"

"Well, that's what it means."

"My lord, I am a clergyman, and the secular world outside of God and the Church should not be what I am studying. But I know that the birth of new things must be accompanied by the destruction of old things, which is the law that God has laid down for all things. Almost everything in the world alternates between the old and the new, just as the alternation of day and night gives birth to the dawn of the rising sun and the afterglow of the setting sun. But the alternation of power is never gentle or slow, and power and violence always go hand in hand......"

Robert used the idea of violent revolution to explain to Art the rapid change of power and the cycle of old and new, which surprised Art, who did not expect such a philosophy to come from the lips of a clergyman in a dark world.

“...... In short, you have to believe that every war is an inevitable means or outcome of a power struggle, and that it is inevitable and necessary to happen, and that this battle may seem sudden and random, but there are deeper reasons behind it. Think about it, with the power of Earl Balwin, he didn't have an eyeliner in the West? Did he really not know that the Western Army would attack Wincheston? Or did he want Bernard to send troops against Tiniez? ”

Robert paused for a moment, leaving Art to think.

"But you are lucky, you are the strongest, and the balance of power will always be in favor of the strong." Robert answered Art's doubts in one sentence, there is no right or wrong in war, and the balance is always in favor of the stronger side.

Art was also about to have an in-depth discussion with Father Robert, but Ron knocked on the door and walked in to bow down to Father Robert to apologize, and then approached Art and said, "Master, Viscount Pierre sent a message to ask you to go to the county town immediately, saying that there is a message from the palace. I guess it's the court's pardon order. ”

"The pardon can be sent by a messenger, why do you have to go to the county seat?" Art pondered Pierre's intentions.

"My lord, you can't keep two male lions in one cage, I'm afraid that the lion in the county has a sense of crisis." Robert replied half-guessingly.

Art nodded, and said to Ron, "Gather the guards and follow me to Tiniec." ”

After a pause, he commanded: "Go find the baggage team to pick a valuable gift from the war capture and bring it." ”

Ron took the order and turned to go out the door.

"Father Robert, it seems that our topic will have to be discussed in detail another day, and the pacification of the soldiers after the war will bother you with Dunnis." Art said as he removed the sash from the sword rack behind him, and tied the knight's sword around his waist.

"Glad to be!" Robert stood up and bowed and left.

Wincheston Manor was very close to the county seat, and Art galloped to the county lord's hall with six guards.

Time has passed, and Art is no longer the mountain hunter who sells and hunts for a living, and Art's reputation in Tignats County has been in full swing over the years, from the guards at the city gates to the officials in the lord's hall who bow down when they see Art.

The fat steward of the county arsenal who had had "goods exchanges" with Yate saw Yate, and even bent down and lowered his head to talk to Yate enthusiastically.

Art had a good impression of this person who took the money and did things, and after a few simple greetings, he walked into the hall and the county magistrate's office.

Viscount Pierre was dressed in woolen clothes, with a simple cowhide belt tied around his waist, and after the guards informed him of Art's visit, he got up and walked to the door and greeted him with a smile on his face, and the solemn feeling of the past had been replaced by politeness.

"Baron Art, please be seated." Pierre invited Yat to sit down on a chair, then returned to the official table and took out a document bearing the seal of the Marquis of Ivrea and handed it to Arte.

"Congratulations to Baron Art, the court has officially canonized the Southwest Farm and Ryan Manor as a barony, and you can justifiably expand your power in the county again." Pierre's voice was gentle and smiling.

Art clearly heard the coldness in Pierre's heart in a gentle tone.

Art sat upright, moved his ass an inch out, and replied, "Lord Pierre, no matter how great the gift I have received, I always remember that I am a vassal of Lord Marquis, and I dare not forget that I am a citizen of your rule."

"Besides, I dare not forget the Buddha and the help you and the county have given me all these years, and I know very well that if I lived in any of the other counties of the country, then my fate might be completely different. I am grateful to you, and it is true now and in the future. ”

Viscount Pierre was slightly stunned, he didn't expect Art to hit his heart directly.

Coughing lightly, Pierre said again: "My term as governor of Tinets is over, and I have submitted a petition to the court twice to return to the county, but the court thinks that there is no suitable person to take over in Tinets for the time being, so let me take care of it for the time being, and when there is enough merit and a suitable fief vacancy, I will be sealed somewhere as a lord."

Art pondered for a moment, according to the information he had gathered, Pierre had indeed completed his term as magistrate, but he did not want to return to the chaotic court to continue to be a court viscount in name only, and he did not want to be involved in this destined vortex.

However, Art's recent rise has been too rapid, which has made Pierre a little uneasy, especially the battle that took place in the north of the county last week, which made Pierre realize the terrifying strength of this rising star. So Pierre invited Art to the county town to find out what Art was thinking, and at the same time made it clear to Art that he just wanted to stay in Tignets for a few days, and then leave on his own when he found a suitable opportunity.

Art apparently understood Pierre's thoughts, and expressed his attitude that he would not disagree with Pierre in the slightest.

Pierre got Yate's attitude, his heart was a little brighter, and he said the real purpose of finding Yat today, "Baron Yate, I have summoned you today to discuss a matter with you in addition to conveying the court's edict of land pardon. ”

"Tell me." Art leaned forward slightly, acting very seriously.

"Since I became the magistrate of the county, the taxes of the county can basically only be supplied by the county town and a few directly governed public lands, and many lords of the county have resisted taxes, resulting in the annual tax paid by the county to the palace less than one-third of the regulation."

"This is the direct territory of the Marquis, as a territory directly controlled by the Marquis, and it can't share the worries of the Marquis, so how can other places be willing to pay taxes. Now that the treasury of the county is sluggish, and the court is also counting the taxes owed by the provinces and counties over the years, I think that in the last part of my term of office, I will collect the taxes that were owed by the county of Tinets over the years. ”

Art didn't answer, and motioned for Pierre to continue.

"My tax collector has already made an inventory, and the total amount of tax arrears in the county over the years has exceeded one and a half million pfennigs, and even if I can collect two-thirds of it, it will be one million pfennigs, and if this tax is included in the marquis's internal payment, then the marquis will surely praise Tignets, and the other provinces and counties will be forced to pay back taxes due to the situation."

Pierre was selfish, he had not had much to do since he became the magistrate of Tiniez, and now he wanted to pave the way for his future by collecting the arrears of taxes from the royal court, and a million finneys were enough to impress the marquis.

"Lord Viscount, do you think you need me to do something?" Art knew there must be a reason why Pierre had told him about it.

Pierre looked like a smart man and spoke freely, "I will immediately issue a decree in the county to collect the arrears of taxes within a time limit, but I need a nobleman with prestige and strength in the county to take the lead, and the South West Farm and Wincheston Manor are also the most unpaid territories in the county over the years, so I want to ........"

"You mean to let me wipe the ass for the Dean family?" When Art heard that he wanted to pay the tax, his tone was unconsciously a little stiff.

"Baron Art, I'm not that stupid. I'm just letting you take the lead in paying the taxes, and as long as you pay them, no one in the county will dare to resist. When the other lords in the county have paid their taxes, I will return your share and secretly take a tenth of the taxes as your salary. ”

"Of course, your father-in-law's Sapu Castle, though better than the others over the years, is still in arrears with the county's tax of 100,000 pfennigs, and you must convince him to pay it back as required. In the same way, I will return the share of Sapburg. ”

This kind of offending thing is also something that a departing official like Pierre dares to do.

Art understood what Pierre meant, and he stretched out five fingers, "I'm going to divide a fifth, it's hard to draw blood." ”

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Chapter 293: Profit Sharing