On the way back, Byron repeatedly inspected the new mountain people and evaluated their combat effectiveness in light of their previous battles.

At present, it seems that the mountain people are disorganized and poorly equipped, and because of the excessive bandit composition in the interior, they are loosely disciplined and do not obey orders, and they did not follow the attack until after the Byron troops launched an attack in the last battle, and it can also be seen that they do not trust Byron, although this is also common sense.

However, the mountain people have a strong will to fight, fierce in battle, skilled archers, and most importantly, not afraid of death. They can withstand higher casualties than the regular army without retreating, and if used well, they can be trained into a lumberjack-like force and become the backbone of Byron's army.

With the positioning, the next step is easy to arrange. Byron can let the captains of the logging team train these mountain people, although these mercenaries are not as professional as the Rhodok officers, but they have a deeper connection with the mountain people, the communication is more convenient, and according to their training methods, the training time can be shortened, and with the ability of the system, a group of soldiers can be trained to meet Byron's needs in a month.

After the end of the war, the number of troops increased rather than decreased, and some of the captives expressed their willingness to follow Byron. Byron accepted their surrender, but did not return their weapons and equipment, and only after returning to Viruga could they officially serve Byron as Byron's soldiers, maintaining law and order in the city as Viruga's patrols.

Byron had taken twice as long to return as he had gone, and by the time he reached Viruga, the spring rain had ceased and the ground was dry, and the peasants were so busy that they almost ignored the army that had passed in front of their fields.

The inhabitants of Viruga were all aware of the victorious return of the army, as well as the countless prisoners. Especially the women and children who were anxiously guarding the side of the street, they desperately squeezed to the front of the line, constantly scanning the figure of everyone in the line, hoping that there would be someone they were familiar with. If they did not notice the whole procession passing in front of them, the women would leave with their cheeks covered, and then turn to the victorious foreign soldiers for the last hope, hoping to get news of their husbands or fathers and brothers.

If they did, they were relieved but not happy, because the fate of the captives was still unknown, and no one could guarantee that they would return home safely.

And Byron was also surprised by the situation in the city, originally he thought that he had been away from the city for so long, even if he gave Alleyn a back hand, the atmosphere in the city should be very tense now. The reality, however, was that the atmosphere, while equally tense, was one-sided fear of Byron. Both the commoners and the nobles avoided Byron and walked away, without the slightest intention of resisting.

Byron had told Bandak to be prepared in case something unexpected happened when he entered the city, which now seemed completely redundant.

When Alleyne led the castle's defenders over to meet Byron, he naturally raised the question. And Alleyne was also very proud to tell the story of his plan to lure out the rebels and annihilate them all, much to Byron's surprise.

"Very well done, Ellene. You have proven to me that you are not only a good knight, but also a great commander. You can choose any three villages around Veruga as your fiefdom, and the mansion that once belonged to Count Mateas on the edge of the castle will be given to you, and with me, you will have a bright future. ”

"It's my glory to fight for you, my lord."

Alleyne bowed contentedly and triumphantly, not noticing the hint of jealousy in Byron's words, and not thinking about the meaning of Byron giving him a mansion so close to the castle.

''The closer you are to yourself, the easier it is to control.'' Alleyne's abilities are stronger than I thought, and his personality is flawed... For the time being, he can't be too far away on his own, and the army can't be controlled by him alone. ‘’

Byron smiled and thought to himself.

It's not that he's jealous of Aren's ability, it's not that he doesn't believe in him, it's just that people who are too capable will have a greater chance of getting out of their control, and they have to guard against this until they are fully confirmed that the other party's loyalty is fully confirmed.

The bondage of interests, friendships, recognition, honor, and the display of self-charm and self-strength are all part of the art of mastery, and Byron still needs to learn and make good use of it.

Things are stable in the city, and the enemies outside the city can't find them for the time being. Byron was finally able to sit down and write a letter to King Harlaus, spreading the news that he had taken Viruga by sending people north. In addition, he had to write letters to Count Dilynard and Count Claes, and in any case he had relieved the siege of Fort Gruenward, and he had to say a few good things about the ownership of the city.

And De Herim's economy was also controlled by half of the alliance between Byron and the Golden Hand family, and the Earl of Claes used it to collect tens of thousands, and Byron was originally a knight under his command, and it was very beneficial for him to support Byron.

However, Byron did not take the initiative to ask the king to give him such a large city, which was not in line with his status, and would anger the king and the earls and lords of the whole kingdom. Cities are basically lords' money pots, and many earls with long family backgrounds only own a few towns as fiefs, so it would be strange if a new baron from a civilian background suddenly got such a big city.

Byron has a lot of mercenaries in his hands, but his foundation is still shallow, and it is not enough to deter those old nobles. Whether it's a head-to-head confrontation or a stabbing in the shadows, he's no match for the counts. So in the letter, he took the initiative to ask about the ownership of King Haraus's city, saying that he did not want to occupy such a rich area.

Of course, he repeatedly suggested in his letters that the great and noble King Harlaus should bring the city under the royal court, to strengthen the royal power in a time when the kingdom was in chaos, and to deter those who opposed the king. As a loyal vassal of the king, he was willing to shoulder the responsibility of managing the city for the king, and paid the city taxes regularly.

Truth be told, in the current situation, a wise monarch would not accept the city. On the contrary, he could use this city that could be lost if he didn't do it well to gain the support of those powerful lords. As for Byron, the fool knows that he has made a lot of money in this war, and he should almost be content. Give Serindil to Byron again, give him some honorary titles, and improve his prestige and status in the kingdom, but if you can't give him some more estate around Viruga, Byron will have to agree even if he is reluctant, because the city may not be able to be defended, but the help given to him by the king can allow him to gain a firm foothold in the noble circle and form his own family power, even if he is promoted to the position of earl in the future, it is not a difficult thing.

However, King Haraus is not an ordinary king, let alone the so-called "Ming Jun". He is too arrogant, too greedy, too good-looking! The ambition of his goals but the disregard for national power, and the reluctance to give meritorious service to the people who occupied the land, led to the increasing opposition of the people in the country, and the hostility of the lords to the point of drawing swords against each other. Now that the situation in Swadia is as it is now, King Haraus bears a great deal of responsibility.

Therefore, heroes such as Byron and Alleyne agreed that King Harlaus, even in such a critical situation, would still irresponsibly take Viruga for himself, even if it was nominally.

When the messenger returned a few weeks later, the reply was similar to what Byron had guessed.

The nobles of the entire kingdom received a notice from the king on those days, and King Haraus declared himself to possess the city of Viruga and all the surrounding annexed lands. However, because of the long distance, the king handed over the periphery of Viruga to the management of the king's loyal baron von Byron, and sent Prince Harauu to lead an army to Viruga to manage the city, with Baron Byron assisting him. As for the newly occupied lands in the western and northern parts of Viruga, they were temporarily administered by the city of Viruga, and the specific ownership should be decided by the domestic nobles through consultation.

Very well, it's very King Haraus.

Please remember that the first domain name of this book is:. Nine Heavenly God Emperor mobile version reading website: