Chapter 80: The Glorious Cross of the North (3)
When the moon hung high in the sky, a grand banquet in Salion had just begun, and the castle of Salion in the dark night was like a light that lit up the land. The servants lit up all the parts of the castle with candles and butter torches, and even in the garden outside the castle, colorful satin was hung between the branches early in the morning, and a sturdy oak table was set up in the garden on the stone path. Barrels of cider and ale have long been brought out and placed on the table waiting to be used.
Today is the 60th birthday of the eldest duke of Salion, and it is also a celebratory banquet to celebrate the triumphant return of the young Grand Duke Salald -- although the time is a little late, but this little thing accidentally hurts the wild goose.
This place famous for knights throughout the north Shijie, the galloping Salion's war horse has become synonymous with her, the galloping Vistula River has given her plenty of nutrients, and has given birth to the proud and extremely glorious character of the Salionians - in a sense, they are indeed somewhat similar to the Romans, but the biggest difference between the lion and the eagle is that she advocates more personal heroism, and the Salionians worship heroes more than the Romans!
So when they learned that Salad had led the knights into Singar, everyone was boiling -- the two sides could be said to be old rivals for almost two or three generations, although they had never really confronted each other, but it was a small friction, and it was not until Salald's father's generation began to pay more attention to the trade relationship between the two sides. Although it was to rescue Singar, he was able to lead the army to storm Singar, and Salald was definitely the first of the Grand Dukes of Salion to do so, and this alone was enough to make everyone celebrate him.
Not to mention the fact that Salad had brought back a staggering amount of gold and spices -- not everyone had been in favor of Salald's troops, but now no one dared to go against the will of the "little lion" -- gold and glory, two things that made Salion's army completely loyal to the Grand Duke, and Salald's position could not have been more secure.
In this respect, Salad was indeed more decisive than Theodore and Aaron - the army was to be held in his hands, and the territory was to be held in his hands. In the land of Salion, there is no place in the hands of any lord, and Salald "sincerely" invited them to come to Salion, forming the so-called "Grand Council of Salion", which has become a central management body in the Salion region, responsible for taxation and legal affairs, but has no influence on the territory and the army, and can only do some behind-the-scenes work.
Of course, there are those who are willing and those who are not. Therefore, in order to guard against those who are unwilling, Salad deliberately killed two "chickens that do not bow their heads" to scare the remaining "monkeys", and the Salion region was integrated in this way, and it had a long and short capital in the north.
Opening the somewhat old castle gate, a large red carpet painted with black patterns covered the hall, and thick tents hung on the walls, all of which were adorned with the golden lion coat of arms of the Ultok family. The elaborate silver candelabra is imbued with the imperial court style, and the long tables around the hall are filled with fragrant and exquisite food.
The two Grand Dukes of Salion, who were the protagonists of the banquet, sat behind a long table on a slightly raised staircase opposite the hall, and watched as one after another messengers came forward to congratulate them, offering the blessings of a certain lord from afar, as well as carefully prepared gifts.
"Archduke Brennus congratulates his old friend on successfully living another year old~! and he is still in good health like a young man!" a messenger from the northern Mistromet territory read aloud a congratulatory message written on a piece of paper: "Present the specialties of the Arctic Ice Field, a whole fox cloak!"
"This old thing is not dead yet!" said the old duke, smiling, as he took from the messenger the gift of the north that moved all the ladies present - it was rare to find such a complete fox fur in Salion, and it was a red fox fur.
"The Grand Duke asked me to convey it to you. The messenger laughed too: "He can still go hunting now! This fox fur is his latest 'trophy'!"
"Hah! It turned out to be showing off to me. The old duke became more and more happy, and slapped Salald, who was constantly pouring wine on the side: "Don't patronize and drink, say hello to people more!"
"Isn't it one of a man's duties at a banquet to get himself drunk?" Salald burped and looked at his father with a confused look: "Relax Daddy~." We're just going to get drunk today, so the big guys can have fun, don't you think?"
"I kind of regret it now. The corners of the eldest duke's eyes kept twitching: "Maybe I should wait until you are more sensible before passing on the title to you, as the leader of the family, give me something to look like!"
"So, now I'm the head of the family, Sarad Ultok, I!" the young golden lion staggered to his feet and raised his glasses: "Brothers......! Friends, let's get drunk today!"
"Hurrah Ultok! Hurrah Radiant Cross!" to the voice !!of the little Grand Duke, the guests at the banquet also raised their glasses and blessed loudly, like bears and children.
"Seriously, although I hate those dwarves - stubborn, rigid and a little neurotic, hiccup~. Salald looked at the old duke with a hippie smile: "But they... Hiccup~, there's a little bit that is well done. Banquet, it's a banquet burp~, it's a burp~, it's not big or small!"
"Very good~, that's a good point. The old duke's face turned black with ink, and he grabbed Salald's hand and walked upstairs without looking back: "Sorry guests, but my crazy son needs to sober up a little now!"
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The cold wind howled in the dark night, passing over the castle, bringing the sound of the horn "woo~", but faster than the horse, sharper than the sword, and the swallowtail flag at the top of the castle swayed in the wind like a flying fish.
"Every time I stand on top of the castle, there are always various reasons. Salald sat on the edge of the parapet with some emotion, looking out at the raging Vistula River in the distance: "It seems that there has never been a time when I have come up so leisurely to take a look at the scenery in the distance." ”
"You are now the leader of the Ultok family, my son. The eldest man sighed, "If you want to spend the whole day like an old man with good wine and scenery, you can do so when you reach my age." ”
"I want to know, what are your plans next?" the old duke asked in a deep voice, "the north is almost unified, but there are still too many 'friends' who can be with Salion for a long time............! Tell me about your conspiracy!"
"I've always felt that jihua is no different from a conspiracy, a few people chirping in private, and then shouting on behalf of everyone else. Salald rolled his eyes and muttered. The night wind blew his hair messy, making the lion cub look a little crazy: "If you ask, of course you are." ”
"First of all, there is no doubt that Her Highness Helena will, no matter what, unify the North. Only a unified north can have a liliang against those orcs, and only a unified north can have the possibility of uniting with elves and dwarves, so this is certain. ”
"I used to hear that old fellow of mine talk about your Jihua, Salald. The old duke looked at him with a smile: "That princess Helena...... Is it really that exciting?"
"If you get a chance to meet that princess, Daddy. Salald's expression became very mysterious: "You will know that the knights of Weishenme will worship her as a god! Just by standing there, the warriors will have the courage and faith to see death as if she were home! She is a goddess who truly exists." ”
"But it doesn't look like you have any advantage. The eldest duke shrugged his shoulders: "Compared with you, that Roman is more favored by the princess, after all, he has saved his life." ”
"Sometimes, interests are more useful than feelings, and Theodore will not give up his territory easily, but I can give the princess a territory, a real territory. ”
"What you're trying to say...... Larria?"
"Why did the Elfwan family inherit Larria?" Salald asked rhetorically, "Merit, history, or contribution to the Empire, but they have Laria because the Elvwan family is related to the Pendragon family in their ancestors, and this family has the same blood in its body as the imperial family. But the side branches can't inherit the throne, right?"
"Now that a real Pendragon has returned, what reason do they have to continue to have there?"
"Don't underestimate them. The eldest duke warned with a serious expression: "It is because of their in-laws with the royal family that Liliang of Laria is more powerful than you think!"
"I certainly wouldn't dare to fight the idea if the Grand Duke Elfwan were still alive, and I wouldn't dare to fight if his sons and brothers were still alive. Salald smiled disdainfully: "But now, sitting in that castle is a child who doesn't know anything, a puppet, and then a group of sidekicks are there vying for power and profit, beating you to the death." With a small personal bodyguard, I can take all of Larria, and for good reason. ”
"I believe that a dukedom is enough to make the princess favor me. Salald looked up at the starry sky and couldn't help but lick the wine stains on the corner of his mouth: "Once we get married, we will be able to control half of the north, no matter who can stop our will, the empire can be revived!"
"Then, the descendants of the golden lion will be able to sit on that unattainable throne in a rightful way!"