novellaaa Chapter 288 Going to the Capital?
Chapter 288 Going to the Capital?
Chapter 292 Going to the Capital?
From within the ranks of the Hanshan army, a boy of about fifteen years old rushed out, lay down on the body of Houston Hanshan, and wept bitterly.
The Cold Mountain Knights who followed all kept their heads down, and no one urged them on or interrupted them.
With bloodshot eyes, the commander of the Cold Mountain Knights knights knelt down, holding the banner of the Misty Snow Mountain, and solemnly covered Houston's body with it.
After doing all that, he grabbed the boy from the ground and slapped him hard across the face!
"Have you cried enough?!" The commander of the Cold Mountain Knights angrily rebuked the boy for his weakness.
The boy was knocked to the side by the blow, and he froze for a moment, tears still hanging on the tip of his nose, but his crying stopped.
The commander's calloused hands pressed heavily on his shoulders. He gritted his teeth and choked out, "Your father has died a heroic death. From now on, you are the new Viscount Hanshan. You must shoulder the family's honor and not let anyone look down on you!"
The boy twitched twice, and when he looked up again, his eyes were no longer those of the child who had been crying on his father's body.
He wiped his face hard with his sleeve, nodded to the commander, took a deep breath, and then turned to walk towards Richard.
"Chiffon Lord".
Although Sid Hanshan's voice still had a nasal tone from crying, he held his head high and chest out.
"I wish to handle my father's funeral first, and then hand over the reins of Hanshan Territory to you. Please grant me permission."
Richard nodded.
Houston Cold Mountain's death in the duel with the lord was not only glorious, but also secured a dignified exit for the Cold Mountain family.
Sid can leave this place with his superhuman soldiers and knights, as well as everything from Cold Mountain Keep.
The feud between Qi Feng and Han Shan was thus resolved.
The cremation ceremony for Houston Cold Mountain was held in the square in front of the castle.
The soldiers of Hanshan carried dry firewood from the warehouse, stacked it neatly into a large platform, and carried their lord's body up there along with the banner.
More than thirty Star Knights removed their helmets, knelt on one knee, and rested the tips of their knight swords on the ground.
The Chiffon Guards formed ranks outside the square. Richard raised his hand to signal them, and the guards clenched their fists and placed them on their chests, paying the highest tribute to the lord who had died in the duel.
The raging fire illuminated the entire Cold Mountain.
Then, Sid respectfully presented Richard with a gilded scroll, which was the deed for the Cold Mountain territory.
The moment Richard took it, a system notification sounded in his mind.
【Congratulations!】
You have acquired ownership of Cold Mountain Territory, and your farm area has increased by 681 square kilometers.
The initial area of a baronial fief was one thousand square kilometers.
The Cold Mountain Territory has only six hundred left. Besides being divided into three baronies, it must have been some of them that were sold off in the past.
It didn't matter, since it was just for the exchange. Richard handed the items and documents to Im behind him and asked Sid, "What are your plans now?"
Although Sid still looked like a young boy with red eyes, his words carried a new maturity and composure.
"Go to Hansong Territory; I want to reclaim the title and fiefdom of Baron Hansong."
The loss of fiefdoms, as seen with the Hanshan family, was quite common in history, and the outcome typically fell into three categories:
One option was to lead the knights to join a powerful noble family and secure an official position. While this would be respectable, being dependent on someone else would make it extremely difficult to reclaim their own fiefdom.
Secondly, they could disband their army, abandon their territory, and take all their wealth to the capital to do business, thus escaping the strife and making a living.
The last one is rather cruel, like Sid did, taking back a vassal's territory as a new home for the family.
A vassal can rebel against his lord, and a lord can, of course, strip his vassal of his title.
But this approach will certainly provoke strong resistance, and even other barons in the North will unite against it.
Once a feudal lord loses power, their first reaction is not to welcome him, but to close the city gates and disown him as their former master.
After all, Sid had no legitimate excuse to take everything from Hansong for no reason, so it would be strange if he didn't fight him to the death.
If he goes to Hansong, a life-or-death battle will likely break out. Even if he wins, it will become an indelible stain on the Hanshan family.
Richard thought for a moment and said, "You should have heard of Chiffon Trading Company. If you're willing, I'd like to invite you to help me run the main store in the capital. In addition to ten gold coins a month, I'll give you a 20% share."
The capital city is a regional centralized system, with hundreds of city-states all under the jurisdiction of Xingchen. There are no so-called feudal lords, only official positions such as mayors and ministers.
Therefore, nobles are relatively rare there, and they have certain minor privileges and conveniences when doing business, such as additional tax rate reductions and priority purchasing rights, etc.
But the army must be disbanded.
Sid was taken aback by Richard's invitation.
He had certainly heard about Qifeng Trading Company's rapid expansion into more than a dozen branches in the northern region.
With Qi Feng's enviable wealth and grain production technology, running a main store in the capital would surely lead to a very comfortable and prosperous life.
It's much better than being stuck with a barren vassal territory.
But Sid did not hesitate at all and firmly shook his head in refusal.
"I am grateful for Chiffon's generosity, but Hanshan will not leave the Northern Territory. I am determined to restore the family's glory."
This choice surprised Richard. He stared into Sid's eyes and quickly understood what the other was thinking.
Also.
Although Hanshan had been defeated, the young man was full of ambition, and with the heroic spirit inherited from his father, he chose a thorny path.
Advising him to settle down in the capital at this point would be to underestimate him.
Fine.
"Then I will send fifty guards to escort you to Hansong Territory, so you can have someone to look after you on the way." Although Richard did not make a promise, the meaning behind his words was very clear.
—If Han Song dares to defy the Emperor, I'll help you deal with him.
This time, Sid did not refuse. He raised his head, thanked him solemnly again, and then turned to pack his belongings, preparing to set off.
As evening fell, the Hanshan family's procession set off from the castle.
Hundreds of horse-drawn carriages were fully loaded with supplies. Everything that could be carried was crammed into the carriages, while larger items were piled on flatbed carts and tied tightly with hemp ropes.
The commander of the Cold Mountain Knights rode alongside Sid, carrying a stone urn in his arms. No one spoke; only the sound of wheels rolling over dry grass and gravel filled the air.
The column was much shorter than when it left the city, and more than 300 of the more than 500 extraordinary soldiers who were originally loyal to the Hanshan family were missing.
They probably felt that the Hanshan family had fallen into decline and were unwilling to tie their lives to a viscount who was not yet an adult.
This is not uncommon in the North; when nobles lose their fiefdoms, the first to disperse are the high-ranking legions.
There are still more than two hundred soldiers left, as well as the Cold Mountain Knights. Those who are willing to stay are the most loyal warriors of the family and the hope for the family's revival.
The autumn wind is getting cooler.
Richard stood on the city wall watching them go, until the flags on the snowy mountain peaks were stretched thin and long by the setting sun.
When Sid arrives at Cold Pine Territory, that place will be renamed Cold Mountain Territory, and the current Cold Mountain Territory will be divided up and renamed with the new family's surname.
He thought about some random things before turning to Im and saying, "Summon all the remaining officials of Cold Mountain Territory to the castle hall."
Soon, dozens of officials, including clerks, tax collectors, granary managers, city gate garrison commanders, and reserve sergeant majors, stood in several rows in the main hall of Hanshan Castle.
These people had different expressions.
Some people nervously rubbed their hands, some lowered their heads, not daring to look at the young, unfamiliar face in the main seat, and some tried to remain calm but their foreheads were already beaded with sweat.
Richard did not sit in the main seat, but stood in the center of the hall, his gaze sweeping over their faces one by one.
"The Cold Mountain Territory will soon be handed over to a new lord. Whether you can stay or not depends on whether he needs you."
"But before the handover, I will still be in charge here. You will continue to maintain order in the city, manage the granaries and the people, and keep the accounts in order, just like before."
At this point, Richard's tone became a little somber.
"I won't investigate past accounts, but from today onwards, record every single transaction. Anyone who dares to embezzle or neglect their duties will be hanged at the city gate and used as a wind chime."
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines!