“Actually, you can’t represent anyone at all!”
Clang!
The grand door was pushed open with a bang, and Wu Ming strode in.
“My lord!”
Amilia was so excited she was almost in tears: “You’ve finally returned!?”
“You are Wallace? Wallace Wallace!”
Xisai looked at the young Wu Ming, his jealousy barely concealed: “I am the messenger of Duke Lanshan. You must explain your actions today!”
“Explain? What explanation?”
Wu Ming shook his head: “All I see is a robber who lives in my house, is warmly welcomed by me, yet maliciously plots to seize my property!”
“Amilia, tell Chef to hang all those who broke the rules!”
He coldly ordered directly.
“You… how dare you?”
Lord Xisai’s face turned red like a ripe shrimp: “Do you want to rebel?”
“I am the lord of this land. Within my territory, I can do whatever I wish!”
Wu Ming replied calmly. Then he took a couple of steps forward, his calm demeanor making Lord Xisai’s legs weaken, causing him to collapse into a chair.
“Moreover… don’t overestimate yourself. Compared to me, who has thousands of troops and ten thousand subjects, what are you in the eyes of Duke Lanshan?”
He whispered in Lord Xisai’s ear in a very low voice.
At that moment, Xisai felt as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss.
Only now did he suddenly realize that the power represented by Carlos Territory had already grown into one of the top forces in Fengying Plains, especially at the moment when the lion and tiger were about to determine the winner.
To win over this newly rising force, what was a mere lord like him? Presumably, as long as Wu Ming remained loyal, Duke Lanshan would gladly hand him over to Wu Ming for disposal.
With his main support removed, he immediately felt as if all his bones had been pulled out, collapsing limply.
“Take him back to his room. Lord Xisai is ill and needs to rest properly!”
Wu Ming waved his hand. Two guards came in and immediately dragged the clownish Lord Xisai out.
“Also… have the bathhouse prepare hot water and a sumptuous breakfast. I want to eat heartily!”
Only at this point did a slight look of fatigue appear on his face.
Perceptive Amilia immediately noticed the travel-worn traces on Sir Wallace and quickly bowed: “Yes… I will immediately have someone prepare it!”
…
Steam rose, white marble statues stood quietly, their lines soft yet slightly warm.
Wu Ming leaned comfortably against the edge of the pool. Beside him, Amilia rolled up her sleeves, revealing arms as white as jade. Without hesitation, she served him with a towel.
“My lord, here is your breakfast!”
The cooks had prepared delicate pastries and milk, placed on wooden trays, floating on the water like a stream delivering them.
“There’s no time! Amilia, tell me everything about the territory!”
Wu Ming grabbed a milk bottle with one hand and stuffed a piece of white bread into his mouth, his voice still quite clear.
“Yes! Everything in the territory is fine, but due to the war, our goods are for the first time piling up. Also… many freemen and serfs, fearing the war’s impact, have fled into our territory…”
Amilia took a deep breath and quickly reported.
“War! The second Lion-Tiger conflict!”
Wu Ming sighed deeply: “What was the cause of the incident?”
“According to the summons issued by the Duke, it was because Viscount Garcia moved the boundary markers, encroaching upon his sacred and inviolable territory…”
Amilia explained: “But we all know the real reason. After several years of recovery, the Duke can no longer contain his impatience.”
“Currently, both sides are gathering their private troops, knights, mercenary companies, and adventurers… amassing forces on Walton Plains, with more than ten thousand people involved in the war.”
“Specifics?”
Wu Ming slightly closed his eyes and slowly asked.
“Duke Lanshan has six thousand men, and Viscount Garcia… four thousand. This is the latest intelligence!”
“Our Duke is still too hasty…”
Wu Ming suddenly opened his eyes, as if a sharp gleam had flashed: “Has he forgotten the lesson from his previous defeat, when despite having a much stronger force, he was decisively beaten by Viscount Garcia? If he loses again this time, even if Viscount Garcia is willing to accept peace, the ransom will surely double.”
“Therefore, the Duke has issued the most severe call to his vassals, declaring that those who obey him will gain honor, while those who defy him will be stripped of everything after the war.”
“Judging from the envoy he sent, Lord Xisai, I really don’t have much confidence in his actions!”
Wu Ming shook his head, then stood up, dried the water droplets on his body, and put on a clean, soft bathrobe: “But we must begin mobilizing within our territory.”
“Mobilize?”
“Exactly, a full mobilization order!”
Wu Ming’s expression was resolute, while Amilia seemed slightly dazed.
As a knight’s territory, Wu Ming already had five hundred regular soldiers, far more than other knights, even surpassing a baron’s military strength.
But Amilia knew this was far from the whole story.
The workers who sweated in the mines, factories, and water-powered forges were all adult males who had received militia training, possessing strong organization and discipline. Once the mobilization order was issued, they only needed slight training to be no worse than the regular armies of other nobles, and their numbers were terrifying.
After all, the farmland in Carlos Territory could not possibly support so many agricultural workers. Most of the population was engaged in industry, and it was easy to mobilize thousands.
“This is the difference. Although my territory is not even semi-industrialized, when it comes to war potential and mobilization mechanisms, I’m streets ahead of those primitive agricultural nobles…”
Wu Ming sighed inwardly as he arrived at the council hall.
Here, Chef, his tax collector, factory manager, mine overseer… a group of trusted subordinates had already gathered. Seeing Sir Wallace approach, they all respectfully saluted him, as if they had suddenly found their backbone.
“I won’t be staying in the territory for long. According to my duty, I will lead four hundred men to Walton Plains to fulfill my loyalty to my liege lord…”
Wu Ming looked around the room and spoke first: “At the same time, I require you to begin organizing all my workers and slaves, start reorganizing and training them. The plate armor, swords, and other weapons produced by the water-powered factory will be used to arm them.”
“Respected Sir…”
Another fat man had to wipe his sweat with effort: “I must remind you that although this way you can gain thousands of soldiers, our reserves of grain and cloth may face shortages.”
“Haven’t I already ordered you to stock up as much as possible?”
Wu Ming frowned.
“But… a small amount of grain is manageable. Once the transaction volume becomes too large, it will inevitably alert other noble lords…”
The fat man sweated even more.
Wu Ming rubbed his temples. In ancient times, grain was the top strategic resource, and this was also true in Fengying Plains.
Especially for a territory like his, which had developed abnormally and was overly dependent on the outside world, if the war continued and trade was no longer possible, and large quantities of essential supplies like grain could not be purchased from outside, the entire system would collapse in an instant.
Therefore, he had decisively ordered the halt of production to prepare for war. After all, even if he hadn’t done this, those workers would soon find themselves without work.
Rather than causing trouble later, it was better to start arming them now and use discipline to control them.
“I will solve the grain issue through other channels. You don’t need to worry!”
Wu Ming hesitated for a moment before assuring them.
The benefits of cooperating with the church lay precisely here.
As a powerful force deeply rooted in the area, he was sure the priests could find several smuggling routes for grain.
At the very least, he was certain the church had stored countless war supplies.
However, the cooperation with them was still in the secret stage. Unless he had already gained an advantage, it would be harmful and unhelpful to openly declare it.
…
After Wu Ming, the lord, made his decision, the entire Carlos Territory immediately began operating like a precise machine.
Factories halted production one by one, and slaves and workers were mobilized, participating in training in an organized manner, picking up their previously familiar skills.
Warehouses were opened one after another, and spears, javelins, swords, and suits of plate armor flowed out like water to equip them.
Unlike serfs, the workers were mostly smarter, more dexterous, and some could even read a few simple words, possessing the shrewdness of someone who had opened their eyes to the world.
They knew that with the outbreak of war, aside from weapons, orders for other factory products were drastically decreasing. If this situation continued, they would soon lose their jobs.
Losing their jobs meant no wages, no butter and bread for the next day, and their families would go hungry and end up on the streets.
To defend the life they had been able to live, they had to take up swords, defend this territory, and protect the previous flow of goods—in short, to stop this damned war! And bring everything back to how it was before!
Moreover, by participating in the training now, their treatment was still that of militiamen, with wages still paid, at least ensuring the basic livelihood of their families.
As for what the future held for them, and which lord they would fight for, what did it matter?
After all, they were not serfs loyal to their lord!
Most of them were freemen, escaped slaves, or even wild men from the plains! Their veins flowed with the blood of freedom!
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