The port of Paraven was plundered by the Nord army, and the town was almost razed to the ground. Another infantry unit came from Sagoth and marched south to attack the remaining Svadia territory under King Haraus.

These two pieces of news shocked the entire continent like thunder. The civilians of Swadia were either worried about whether the army would pose a threat to them, or they didn't care to use him as an after-dinner chatter. The nobles, on the other hand, were a little worried, because their property was no longer safe after the war. And the king's conscription order may come at any time.

According to the law, the Swadia king could only recruit vassals once a year, and at other times, even in the event of war, vassals only needed to send a certain number of soldiers. The knights served their loyal lord for only one and a half months a year, during which time they paid for their own expenses.

However, these decrees have become ineffective over time, and King Harlaus himself even claimed in a drunken gaffe that he had been treating the "conscription decree" as a fart. It was no longer the law that bound the vassals and knights, but the complex ties of interest and marriage, as well as the strength of the liege. Especially when wars were frequent, the territory was more frequent, and the knights of Swadia who lost their territory would receive a "compensation" from their lord in exchange for the fact that they had to serve until the end of the war.

Interestingly, however, this conscription-employment relationship is still very useful between minor lords and their knights. After all, these small lords, who had difficulty sustaining themselves, could not supply too large troops, and they lacked binding force on the knights.

Fortunately and unfortunately, Byron happened to belong to the former, and his knights were loyal to him for various reasons and were sent by him. Just like his relationship with the king, the king gave him a title and a title, and no matter how the king calculated him, he had to obey.

It is difficult to say what the fighting will be in the south, and it seems that the upper echelons of Rhodok have abandoned the lands in the north and placed their troops in the mountains of the south and west in case Svadia continues to advance.

Count Matthas, who had lost his territory, fought with Byron several times, but always kept a secret correspondence with him, in which he complained about him. King Haraus did not treat Byron unjustly, forcibly depriving him of the right to occupy and capture the city. Although Byron understood that Count Matas was divisive, what he said did make sense.

Byron was also angry with the prince, and was almost killed by a plot, and his stomach ached from time to time, reminding him of how unsafe his situation was.

Therefore, when the king's envoy rushed to the garrison of Pei Gangde's army with a letter and asked him to lead his troops north to King Qin, his first thought was to cut down this envoy and rebel, and see if Ha Laosi dared to start a fourth war when he was attacked on three sides.

But when he thought about it, that bad old man seemed to dare to do that!

So he calmed down and invited the messenger to sit down and talk in detail.

The messenger was a nobleman, and he was a little arrogant in his manners and conversations, but fortunately he remembered his duty and did not omit what the king had said.

"His Majesty requests that you lead at least a thousand well-armed soldiers, carrying enough supplies, to join the king in Paraven within twenty days and march north against the Nord barbarians. If you are good enough in battle, the king is willing to give you the title of Earl of Glory and the fief of Count Swedish the Renegade. ”

As he spoke, the messenger took out a parchment scroll that had been drafted but lacked the king's signature and seal.

"Please wait a minute, Mr. Emissary. If I'm not mistaken, King Harauth gave me the land he hadn't acquired yet, and whether or not he was actually handed over to me is up for me, is it? ”

Byron didn't reach for the two scrolls of paper, which were currently useless, but stared at the other in the hope of seeing what was in the other's eyes.

"You seem to be misunderstood. Do you think any new nobleman deserves the attention of King Harlaus? ”

A hint of disdain flashed across the messenger's face.

"The king has bestowed upon you land, wealth, and titles, and if you are loyal to the king, you will receive more. Obey him and you will be in no trouble. This is the will of the king, please understand. ”

The messenger didn't say much, bowed a little, and then left.

Byron could of course hear the threat in the messenger's words, but he could also tell that King Harauth was still trying to woo him after the poisoning failed. This is not surprising, now that the kingdom is divided and invaded by foreign enemies, the king needs Byron's troops to fight for him, and a fief with a title and empty promises is not a price for him.

After the messenger had gone, Byron shut himself in his room and pondered for a long time. He has lost trust and loyalty to King Harlaus since the poisoning incident, but a series of interests have forced him to continue to serve this conceited and greedy monarch. Once he betrays King Haraus, he will not only lose his reputation, but also make enemies of the great nobles in the network of relationships that have been built with great difficulty. And he doesn't have the strength to set himself up as a king now, who will accept him after betrayal? Even if you accept it, will you really trust him?

After thinking about it, although reluctant, Byron still told himself that he would accept the king's conscription to go north to fight the enemy. He had no hope of fiefdoms, but the title of earl was still useful. And winning the war will also get a lot of loot and prestige, which will be very helpful for his future development.

The only problem was that Harlaus's summoning order was urgent, and it was not easy to organize an adequate army. Especially the new recruits of Rhodoc crossbowmen and spearmen, who were willing to fight their comrades for Byron's salary, but refused to fight for King Haraus. In Rhodok's tavern, complimenting Swadia would be ridiculed at best, but a toast to King Haraus would result in a severe beating and possibly even a loss of life.

Over the years, King Haraus's invasions and economic sanctions had dealt a heavy blow to Rhodok, forcing the southerners to abandon their feuds and share their hatred and pour out their anger against King Haraus on the Swadian soldiers and caravans. Both military and civilian, the Rhodok hated the name Haraus no less than the devil. Therefore, in this operation, Byron could not bring a single non-mercenary southerner, and those vacancies could only come out of the miscellaneous soldiers under Rolf and the bandits who were recruited. I don't want to know that the quality of these soldiers will definitely not be high.

The rest of the soldiers, whether they are heavy cavalry or crossbowmen, the Peony Mercenary Regiment can provide them, and the soldiers of Swadia can also bring them with them. Byron had already seen the methods of the Nord warriors, and he did not dare to take it lightly, the infantry line should be stable, and the cavalry charge should be strong, only in this way can he gain an advantage against the Nord shield wall.