For the new Count Osasuna, the first problem he had to deal with was the autumn harvest, and after the autumn harvest he had to deal with the cultivation of overwintering wheat throughout the territory. Pen Fun Pavilion www.biquge.info Because of the mild climate brought by the Aberian Mountains and the fact that the country has more sunlight than the rest of the continent, Iberia is one of the few regions in the entire continent that can achieve three crops of wheat in two years.

During his visits to several villages, William meets an acquaintance he did not expect, who is also wanted by Ofrite for a long time. Our clever readers will certainly be able to guess who he is.

"If there was a wise man in Iberia in the time of Ofrite III, it was undoubtedly Berto Suarez." - The Three Dynasties of Iberia

"You are here, do I need to inform His Majesty?" William said with a smile as he hugged Suarez.

"It's not necessary, because I've already informed my students."

"How?"

"Of course, I'm here to help you keep an eye on that bad old man in Numancia."

"That's a good excuse, but our King needs you more than ever. He had never forgotten the province of Alc in Falency, though neither we nor our predecessors in the empire had ever been able to get that land from the Falencians. Without you, I can't imagine who our king would have asked to help him deal with Lord Saugrande Leus. William said with a slight mockery.

"I've given him a lot to do, and His Majesty Overwrit should be busy for a while, and if he hadn't been so zealous for fame, he would have been a good king." After all, Ofriet is a student who respects his teacher, "As for how far he can go, it depends on his creation, and the chancellor of Falunci is not a character to be messed with." Like their family's coat of arms, the men of the Luce family are as cunning and brave as wolves. ”

"And it's a maverick." William added.

"So what kind of plan did you offer him, I really doubt that with His Majesty's existing resources, he can train a strong force strong enough to defeat the Third Legion of Farency."

"There is still such a thing as a 'mercenary' in the world." Suarez said, "Don't you know? This year, there was almost no harvest in Zigna's fields. ”

The year 345 of the continental Gregorian calendar was a very bad year for the kingdom of Zigna, a year in which summer storms that made successive landfalls in the island nation destroyed almost everything on the ground. Under such circumstances, Zigna's already underdeveloped agriculture was devastated. As they pass through the country, these storms abate dramatically and bring the most scarce summer rain to Iberia across the sea.

Fortunately, the current King of Zygna, Richard I, was a visionary monarch, and his kingdom, although poor, still maintained its due strategic reserves. Therefore, the kingdom can barely cope with this crisis, but to ensure the development of the coming year, it is obvious that they will not be able to survive on the food stored in previous years.

There is no special product to show off, and if it is a cowardly country, in today's situation, the people can only live in a foreign land to beg. But Zigna was not such a nation, as can be seen from the very beginning of the country's existence.

In the 36th year of the continent, less than 30 years after the new state of Zigna became independent from the territory of the Altikat Empire, Efini, who had inherited the essence of the original imperial navy, tried in vain to capture this country that they considered barbaric and backward, and used it as a springboard for the future conquest of the Altikat continent.

When the Efini navy set out from Alexandria in high spirits, even Emperor Mastar was extremely worried about how to deal with the two-sided attack launched by the first power of Anvaras from the sea in the future, and even Shurasa was ready to lose the Rodnab Islands and retreat to Rolbna. However, to everyone's surprise, the Zygna Navy, which was inferior in equipment and numbers in the Iswana Sea, was instigated by the Hertz fleet to defeat the so-called "invincible" enemy. In total, more than 300 Efini ships were sunk and captured, and since then, the position of maritime supremacy has shifted from prosperous Efini to poor Zigna. For 330 years, no country has dared to challenge this position.

Therefore, Zigna chose another path - to act as a mercenary for other countries, so as to earn enough money to sustain the future development of the country and the family. When it comes to Zigna's army, anyone on the continent with a modicum of military common sense will think of their longbowmen. Arguably the most lethal long-range individual weapon in the known world (the Articuts had not yet seen the powerful crossbows of the East), the longbow would have suffered heavy casualties from the longbowmen. Because the kings of Zigna have always adhered to the good folk archery tradition, the king can easily recruit thousands or even tens of thousands of excellent archers in any situation. As to why not more, that was the only problem that limited Zigna, because Zigna, the wood that could be used to make longbows, was not produced locally. If they wanted, they had to import it from the mainland, and of the three countries on the mainland that produced high-quality purple wood: Mastar, who strictly controlled the export of Zigna's longbow, in view of the power of Zigna's longbow; And Iberia's production is too small; As for France, it was not possible to trade with the island nations because it had not built a port. Although it can also be replaced by other woods, the product performance is not as good as that made of yew wood.

As a result, the royal palace in Geldin is now more like a mercenary base camp.

"We have to find a way to find an employer, otherwise everyone will go hungry at the beginning of spring." Richard I said.

"From where we stand, who can we go to? If the storm hadn't been so violent that it affected access to the sea, we could have caught up with the Mastar Civil War before. Prince George of Inget, who is the second son of the king, should be 25 years old this year.

"There is no point in complaining about the past, the key is the present." Crown Prince Edward, though still in poor health, was still involved in the discussion.

"Now? Our long-standing allies, Herz, are not in a much better position than we are, and neither Pamis nor Renoske bother to hire us, and the Mastarns don't want to fight for the time being, Farency? Come on, with that Saulgrande Leus, they won't feel the need for us. Let's not help Efini suppress the charcoal on the Mias plateau. George continued to grumble.

"Little brother, what do you think?" The crown prince turned his pale face to his brother, Henry, Prince of Us.

"I think we can try our luck in Iberia." Henry didn't want to speak, but out of respect for his eldest brother, he said this briefly.

"Iberia? They had just been beaten up by Farensi...... "George said.

"Little brother, you go on." The crown prince stopped his second brother from speaking, and said softly to Prince Henry.

"The king of Iberia has always had ambitions for the province of Alc, Pharansi, and he will not rest on his laurels because of last year's two defeats. And Iberia has always had a weak army, and it is unlikely that there will be a qualitative improvement in the short term, so a long-term mercenary army is very tempting for him. And for us, at this stage, the employer who can directly pay a large amount of grain spot is the best. So, we can go to Iberia and market ourselves. Henry said unhurriedly, most of the young Zigna at the age of 19 probably didn't know anything other than the longbow.

While the ministers and the royal family were still considering the young prince's proposal, an attendant suddenly reported that an emissary had been sent from the Iberian side, who would arrive about evening.

"It seems that the employer is more anxious than us, so we should be able to negotiate a good price." The crown prince laughed, and even such a smile seemed to weigh heavily on him, and he could not help coughing violently.

"Your Highness......"

"Brother Wang......"

"Edward, you go down and rest first." The king looked at his eldest son lovingly.

"Yes, Father." The crown prince still responded to everyone's worries with a smile, and before leaving, he patted Henry on the shoulder, "Little brother, this matter will be left to you to discuss." ”

"Brother Wang......" Henry only then revealed his shyness at this age.

The princes and ministers looked at the king on the throne, and Richard I thought for a moment, nodded to the princes, and then said, "Henry, when the time comes, you will receive the envoy, and you will be old enough to share the affairs of the state for me." ”

"Yes, Father."

In the evening, the king and the two princes ceremoniously received the envoy from Iberia and entertained him with a sumptuous dinner. This astonished the Iberians, who had heard from their own king that the Zignans, who were dying, could still serve such a formal meal. Obviously, Zigna didn't want to be underestimated, and he wanted to get a good price. If the commission is depressed too much, the other party will not give in easily. With this in mind, the Iberians were very measured in the negotiations that followed, and the two sides quickly reached an agreement.

Zigna provided Iberia with 3,500 longbowmen and 500 knights for a five-year period, with weapons and armor to be provided by Zigna. The Iberian side was responsible for providing the most needed supplies for the longbowmen, and the employer was also responsible for providing the necessities of life, such as food, lodging and clothing. In addition, the employment fee is paid in wheat and olive oil, and 40% of the total amount is paid in the first year, which is 200,000 tarantons (1 taranton equals about 1.2 metric tons) of wheat, and 1,000 barrels of olive oil (this barrel is about 30 liters per barrel according to Zigna's standard), which is transported by Zigna's side.

And all the 4,000 mercenaries, after they have been assembled, should set off as soon as possible, because the fleet that transports them to the mainland can just take the first batch of food back to their home countries along the way. As for who should be in command of this mercenary force, this is obviously a question that should be considered. Prince George had been suppressing rebellions in the mountains of Chionz for many years, and it was technically no problem for him to be in charge of the army. However, after all, mercenaries are under the command of their employers, and it makes sense to let the prince of one country obey the command of the king of another country, but it seems to be unseemly if the employer's front-line commander is not the king. Fortunately, the Iberians spoke of their decision to hire Hertz's infantry. Because Qi and Herzegovina are long-term allies, Zig's side proposed to send a less qualified person as the commander, and then merge the command system with the Herz mercenaries.

On the question of candidates, Prince George was clearly more authoritative, nominating his deputy, Charlie, Earl of Lancaster. The king quickly agreed to the plan, and Prince Edward then made a suggestion to his father that Henry, the third prince, accompany the army to Iberia. On the one hand, Henry's mainland official language is good, and he can act as a liaison and communication between labor and management; On the other hand, the crown prince said earnestly to his father: "Father, it is difficult for me to live long in my body, and we need a visionary man after you to lead the ship of Zigna. In the royal family, as far as I can see, George is just an excellent soldier, and only Henry has this potential, so let him go to the mainland as soon as possible to experience it. ”

When Richard I heard his son's opinion on his life, he could only hold his hand with tears in his eyes, and could not say a word.

"Father, why grieve? Even if I were to pass away, it would have had little impact on Zigna. Dorothy is pregnant, and if she gives birth to a prince, then call him Edward. He would have made a good king, for Henry would by that time be an assistant not inferior to Saulgrande Leus. The royal family will continue to prosper, and the country will gradually develop, so please don't be sad, Father, give me a hug. After all, today we have finally survived a major crisis. The old king wiped away his tears and gently embraced his eldest son.

October 22, 345 Continental Gregorian Calendar, Debans, Iberia.

"Your Majesty, there has been news from Zig's side." The Prime Minister bowed slightly and reported to Ofhret III.

"Things should be going well, right?" Overfleet felt that her inquiry was unnecessary.

"As His Majesty expected, it went well."

"So how is it going on on Hertz's side?"

"King Herz has agreed to provide us with 30,000 infantry, and he will send General Arcaderon to command this army."

"So, do our counts have any reaction to this news?" The king asked about the point of the day.

"The counts seem to have some complaints about His Majesty's actions, and they seem to ......," the Prime Minister hesitated.

"That's what I want to hear." The king commanded.

"They are complaining that His Majesty does not trust them enough to reward honor and wealth to those foreigners."

"Hmph." Ofhrit sneered, he knew the lords of his country too well, and he really felt that it would be better if he could become the monarch of Mastar or Pamis. Of course, it is not that he thinks that being born in Iberia will damage his future greatness, but that the glory of the future will be easier to obtain.

"Prime Minister, please draft such an edict for me." "Roughly so," said the king, "since our lords fear that they will not have a chance to prove their loyalty and bravery to me, I will give them an equal chance with the foreigners." I'm going to reorganize the Knights of the Praetorian Guard, and ask them to provide me with their best knights. When I go to war in the future, I will be able to give them a clear share of what is rightfully theirs. Show me when I'm done. ”

"Yes, my majesty."

Just then, a court chamberlain trotted in and whispered a few words into Ofriett's ear. The Chancellor was standing some distance away from the king, so he could only hear a few words, but the name "Eugaris" easily crept into his ears.

As he had expected, the king, after hearing the report of his chamberlain, waved his hand and motioned for himself to retreat. Of course, the prime minister could not, and he did not have the courage to inquire about the king's privacy in person, so he humbly took his leave and left. After all, during this time, the whole of Debans knew that the bewitching dancing queen from Farensi had become the king's public mistress.

After a while, Ofrite met Eugaris in her study.

Today, Eugaris did not wear special makeup, but appeared in front of the King of Iberia with a beautiful face, which made Ofrite, who was used to seeing her usual bewitching posture, seven more amazing.

The King of Iberia changed his face to a smiling face, greeted him, and said, "Miss Eugaris, you have shown me a different style today. ”

After curtsying to the king, Eugaris quipped palely, "Have I upset you like this?" ”

"No, no, how could it be?" Overwit took the lovely woman in front of her into her arms, "I'm glad you can see me in this way, it shows that your trust in me has deepened, and I should be happy." ”

Overall's thoughts were generally not wrong, but he still didn't know the other party well enough, and it should be said that he didn't really put any effort into understanding the other party. Of course, Eugaris thought in her heart that his self-righteous ideas were a little ridiculous, but why wasn't she often self-righteous? Barely suppressing the sudden melancholy that had risen, Eugaris changed her professional smile.

"I came today to bid farewell to Your Majesty." She said slowly.

"What? Where are you going? Not satisfied with my hospitality? ”

Eucaris was glad to see the king's sudden loss, which she had shown in front of others, certainly much more so than Ofrite's emotions were now.

"No, Your Majesty's hospitality is unforgettable," Eugaris bowed her head slightly, "The reason why I want to leave without telling Your Majesty is to carry out an obsession of my own." Maybe this obsession of mine will help His Majesty's career in the future, so I can only give up this beautiful day to accomplish some things. ”

"Will you come back?" Ofrite unconsciously let go of her.

"If I can live long enough, the warm climate of Iberia seems to be more suitable for me."

――――Lazy dividing line――――

Anyway, Biluo Huangquan came to me last week and said that I wanted to publish a version, and I thought about it and said that I might not have time to rush the manuscript for them, so probably the matter will not be closed.

In addition, who wants to appear in the year-end summary, now open for application.