The next morning, when the residents of Muni City woke up, they found that this silent battle had escalated overnight.

First, Leo's recruitment announcement appeared on the bulletin board outside the Grand Duke's mansion.

The announcement said that 500 knights above the level of impartiality will be recruited to form the Knights of the Southern Cross. The Order is the private army of the Earl of Southern Cross and has the status of the Lulian Independence Army.

This means that this order of knights will have the absolute support of the Loulian family.

And the Knights are also well treated.

A fair one-star knight with the lowest level requirements, joining the Knights, can get a settling-in fee of 10,000 gold lulangs. The monthly salary is as high as 1,000 gold francs. Moreover, the stronger the strength, the higher the salary. A knight of great light can get a settling-in allowance of 300,000 gold road langs, and the monthly salary is as high as 30,000 gold road langs.

Such recruitment conditions immediately caused a sensation.

You must know that although many high-level knights also have assets themselves, they are all fixed assets such as houses and land. As far as cash is concerned, most barons and even viscounts who own territories do not necessarily have so much. In terms of conditions, this kind of treatment can be called the most recruited in the past years.

However, the record set by this recruitment announcement was quickly broken.

Twenty minutes after Leo's recruitment announcement was posted, it was discovered that hundreds of squires and guards were running through the streets of Muni City, posting dozens of recruitment announcements.

These announcements, which were printed with the coats of arms of the major families, were neatly arranged in three rows. There is the province of Venia, there is the Duchy of Saxony, there is the Duchy of Sinasili, there is the Duchy of Pru, there is the province of Anthos...... Plus some families from the imperial capital, the total number is as high as thirty-one!

People stood in front of the announcement, dumbfounded. Everyone's first reaction was that the Adam's apple was constricted, and they swallowed a mouthful of saliva with difficulty.

"Oh my God. ”

"Thirty-one families, all united!"

"What a high settling-in fee. ”

"Look, the Reef family of Sinasiri, the Striker family of Saxony! and the Paz family of the unicorn of Anthos!"

"What is this, look at this...... The Congreve family of Venia, and the Black Siren family of Sinasiri!"

People blew up the pot and talked about it.

The treatment promised by these 31 announcements is 20 percent higher than the conditions for dismissal from Leon's recruitment announcement! Moreover, 31 people appeared at the same time, and the treatment conditions were uniform!

There is no doubt that this is a war book. The meaning contained in it is intriguing.

First of all, these thirty-one families are all from a lot of backgrounds. As the ruler of the province of Winia, Archduke Congreve naturally did not mention, and the other families were also famous. Moreover, they represent not only themselves, but also the traditional spheres of influence in their regions.

For example, the Black Siren family is the old nobles on the southeast coast of the Principality of Sinasili.

This family controlled hundreds of maritime merchants and thousands of large ships. With its abundant financial resources, it can be called a rich country. And their partners are also spread throughout the southern part of the empire. At least more than thirty large and small noble lords are allies of this family.

If nothing else, let's just talk about the coastal port of Lulian, I don't know how many docks, warehouses and bazaars are inextricably linked with this family, and I don't know how many underground forces and local nobles deal with this family and even simply take other people's jobs.

And when the Black Siren family posted this announcement, it also meant that this huge force entrenched in the southeast coast of Sinasiri and radiating the coasts of Saxony and Lulian issued a common voice.

This is already the case with a Black Siren family, not to mention that there are thirty-one announcements that appear here.

These thirty-one families include almost all the known forces in the aristocratic circle of the Saint Solan Empire.

From a regional point of view, there are major provinces, major principalities, northeastern nobles, northwest nobles, Middle Eastern nobles, southwestern nobles, Tianhe Basin Alliance, Anthos Plain nobles, coastal nobles Alliance, and representatives of the Plateau Tribal Alliance.

In other respects, there are the nobles of the cotton-producing areas in the northwest, the nobles of the maritime power in the south, the tycoons of animal husbandry and fishing, and the mining magnates......

Looking at these thirty-one recruitment announcements, many people only felt a chill in their backs.

Such a power, such a voice, no one can ignore it, and no one dares to ignore it. Not the Loulians, not even the Imperial Royalty.

But now, facing them is a small new earl.

One can't help but feel sympathy for Leo.

When he announced on the celebration platform yesterday that he was going to form a knight order, I am afraid that he did not expect that the stone he dropped would cause such a violent wave and such a tough reaction.

Moreover, the methods of these nobles are far more clever than Scarlett.

The reason why Scarlett and the others defeated Muni City at the beginning was because they attacked Leo directly, thus giving Leo a chance to counterattack and Adolf a reason to intervene strongly.

Now, these nobles have achieved two goals with just a more favorable recruitment announcement.

First, they took the opportunity to make this competition public, which could not be put on the table. As a landlord, Adolf could not favor one over the other, and thus lost his position to intervene.

Second, they also flex their muscles in this way. Thirty-one recruitment announcements, like thirty-one giants standing across from Leon's lone recruitment announcement. The stark contrast makes people immediately aware of Leo's fatal flaw.

Foundation!

The foundation here is not only financial resources, force and the resources that the family can provide, but also the intertwined relationships.

When these old aristocrats easily unite, what about Leo?

As a new nobleman, except for Adolf, who is now greatly weakened, he has almost no friends in the imperial aristocratic circle!

And what kind of exclusion and trouble the knights established by such a newcomer will encounter in the future is completely predictable.

Standing under the thirty-one announcements plastered all over the streets and alleys of Muni City, there is only one thought in people's minds.

How will Leo respond?

Can he stand up to such a large coalition of interests?

######

At noon, in Gilbert's courtyard, more than a dozen nobles were sitting around the long dining table, chatting and laughing while eating.

At this time, Gilbert's personal attendant pushed the door and walked in.

"How's it going?" asked Gilbert, seeing his henchman, putting down the knife and fork in his hand. After listening to the attendant's ear say a few words, his face showed a hint of surprise.

The nobles had stopped talking and laughing, and all eyes were focused on Gilbert's face.

"I see, let's get out. Waving his hand to signal the attendant to leave, when the door closed, Gilbert smiled and said to everyone, "No response." ”

"Oh?" everyone was stunned.

"No response?" Luhe asked.

"No response!" Gilbert affirmed, "neither our boy nor the mercenaries responded. ”

He picked up his knife and fork and continued to cut the steak on the plate, "It is said that the kid is not in the Grand Duke's Mansion at all. The announcement was posted by Adolf for him. The job of recruitment, too, is done by the people of Lulian. The interviewer now sitting at the recruiting point is Kahn. ”

"How many people have signed up?" Lu He asked.

"More than twenty," Gilbert said lightly, shoving the meat into his mouth, "all of them were with that kid in the abyss." ”

"Well...... everyone's eyes lit up.

"The worst-case scenario we expected didn't happen," a smile tugged at the corner of Gilbert's mouth, "I heard that some mercenaries who followed that kid out of the abyss were about to sign up, but they were all stopped by their captains." Although there was a quarrel, only more than twenty people went to sign up, which meant ......"

He lifted his eyelids and looked around at the crowd.

“...... There is no unity of opinion within them. There is division, there is hesitation. And this kind of peace that has always been generated because we can't achieve it is the best result for us!"

Everyone turned their heads to each other and talked about it.

After a while, Luhe said to Gilbert, "Your Excellency, should we ...... now?"

Gilbert nodded, staring at the steak on the plate, and said with a pun: "The taste is a little lighter, it's time to add some more ingredients." ”...... I forgot the timer yesterday...... (To be continued.) )