Blood tax

Chapter 370 My dear, what do you think of Griffith?
When he first joined the army, William, who had not yet been selected as a Xiutoral, was a petty sergeant and an apprentice knight.His closest companion, the cavalry lance "The Fang of Behemoth", is just a nameless lance.Even without a name, though, "The Fang of Behemoth" is decidedly extraordinary.The blade of the gun is half a meter long, and the eight-sided armor-piercing edge is indestructible with cold light.Needless to say, ordinary chain armor, even three layers of heavy armor can be broken in one blow.He has never tried Dragon Scale, but he stabbed Beamon to death with his own hands, so it would not be a problem to stab another dragon.

Of course, that Beamon wasn't killed by William alone.He had nothing but his lance when he crawled out of the corpses of his squadron mates and stabbed the eye socket of the already twitching monster on the ground with the then unnamed "behemoth tooth" up.

He sat beside his dry blood clots and scattered teammates like a lost soul, tears left two bloodstains on his cheeks.When the legion found him, the military doctors agreed that his mind and soul had been lost on that battlefield, and that staying in the armored cavalry was a danger of losing control at any time.

The regiment hastily sent him to the rear, into the mountains far from the front.Around 1420 in the second era, the new territory of the Eastern Province was full of wandering monsters, infiltrated orcs and troll hunters, and disgusting and wretched goblins.William, then a second-class squad leader, was sent there to command a pioneer settlement militia to strangle threats in the woods and valleys.

This was a very dangerous thing.The settlements are on the supply line leading to the front line, and the enemies who pass through often wipe out the residents and garrisons without any hassle.

William stayed there.Not only did he earn the name of "Fang of Behemoth", but he also built it into a large town that absorbed nearby refugees and defeated troops, standing like a rock in the raging blood tide.Pioneers come here every day, wanting to be sheltered, and even nicknamed William——

"Tear Eyes William"

This nickname is very unpleasant, and William hates it extremely.However, when he regularly keeps watch on the high ground of the settlement, and when the strong wind from the mountains in the east brings the bloody smell from the front line, he will hear the flute with a strange melody, see wriggling shadows, and tears will flow from his eyes. The unstoppable blood and tears were extremely frightening.

Some well-informed residents secretly said that this is a precursor to loss of control.The soul of the second-level team leader was trapped at the foot of the crazy mountain, and he could never return.

William, too, could sense that his end was near.More and more frequently, he saw hideous and distorted black shadows walking around in a funny and terrifying way. The edge of his field of vision was a wriggling black line. Even if it was a sunny day, his eyes were all dim.The manic ravings became clearer and clearer.

He seemed to hear the squadron leader he had admired for a long time calling himself.

Suddenly one day, a noble girl came to the town.She was well dressed and well equipped, but dusty.The azure blue eyes are shining like jewels, and the light blond hair is like the morning light, William's hazy world suddenly has another color.

"Aren't there any other Extraordinary and mercenaries here?" The girl had already inspected the town carefully, muttering with disappointment on her face, then pulled herself together and assumed the posture of a young lady, "Okay Well, I am Elena de La Mole, listen to me, Mr. Apprentice Knight, I enlist you to fight for me in the name of the La Mole family and your lord. I have already made a record at the garrison .Quick, bring as many militiamen as you can with me. My brother has been missing for three weeks, and there must be an explanation anyway!"

The person who came was William's superior lord.He himself was the second son of a lesser knight, obliged to the Lamor family.However, the aristocrats in Bayeran are not as closely connected with their subordinates as in other places, and there are not many contacts between them.The eldest son of the missing Lamour family disappeared with most of the family's subordinates. This Miss Lamour was also forced to have nowhere to go, so she came all the way from Bayerland to recruit William on the spot to help.

"Where are you going?" Captain William, the second-level team, asked casually.

"Go to the mountains in the northeast. There is a ruin fifty miles away from here. I have already prepared the route and the plan." Miss La Moore quickly packed up the equipment and began to arrange the itinerary. "Go and return. Confirm my brother's trace. I have a confession to the Court of Bayeran, never to go deep. I promise, Mr. Apprentice Knight, I promise not to go deep. I have no interest in this kind of dark and weird crypt!
"I, Elena de La Mole, am definitely a witch who can suppress curiosity!"

……

I don't know when Count William de La Mole's "Fang of Behemoth" was sent to the storage room and locked into the strongest box.When he became an earl, legion commander, or even a senator, his quill was more slick than his lance.I can't remember the exact timing, maybe it was the day I married Elena, or it might be the day my daughter was born.

He looked out the window, recalling some past events.The last leaves were falling from the tops of the trees in the garden, reminding him of his thinning hair and the passing of time, and sighed softly.

"Yes, think, who, what~"

The countess lay in William's arms, drawing little rabbits with her fingers on her broad chest.The years have hardly left traces on her appearance and figure. If it must be said, it is more mature and seductive.

The casters really don't show their age~ The magic power refines their spirits, and the traces of the years seem to be erased.The idea that the elves' longevity and youth are due to magical powers seems plausible.However, why did Tiberion and Salorian look gray-haired? Could it be that they were just playing the role of the boss? In fact, the white beard was glued to the face...

Earl William's thoughts drifted away one after another, and he couldn't help laughing when he thought of something interesting.

"Hey~" the Countess bit him dissatisfied, "You're ignoring me again!"

"I don't," the count said hastily, "I was just thinking about Tiberion and Salorian..."

The countess sat up from the bed, covered her mouth and whispered: "Well, it's you~"

"..."

The Earl was speechless for a moment.But he has long been used to it, and has accumulated rich experience in dealing with it.At this time, you can't follow Elena's thoughts, otherwise she will smile and say a suggestion to invite Tidwig or a certain general's wife to the bedroom to play together. I don't know if it is Not serious.

Even if she is serious, I will not accept it, let alone what if she just talks casually!The earl immediately said seriously:
"The engagement between the prince and the princess has changed..."

Before he finished speaking, Elena raised her eyebrows and said excitedly: "You want to take her down? As expected..."

"I'm talking about business."

"I'm also talking about business~" The Countess tilted her head, "There must be a substitute to fill the vacancy, and it is reassuring to be full, otherwise I am really disappointed."

"If you're full of nasty jokes again, I'll leave!" The count immediately reached out to grab the nightgown beside the bed.

"Ah, don't!" Elena pressed his arm hastily, "Then who will deal with this incident?"

Speaking of this, she paused for a moment, looked up and thought for a while: "Griffith?"

"He can't handle it," the earl said, shaking his head. "He is probably the patron of Silver Moon and the Goddess of Starlight, involving the imminent crisis in Canaan and the fate of the Villanoy family."

"No, not from the Moon God." Elena shook her head and said with certainty, "He must be the favored one of the God of Contract~"

"There is such a thing?!" The count was taken aback, "How could it be related to him?"

"William," Elena poked the earl's forehead, "you really don't know anything~"

After speaking, she grabbed her nightgown and got out of bed.When she slowly pulled up the silk robe and brushed over the ups and downs, Earl William couldn't help but recall the feeling in his heart.

"A letter?"

"Well, Sonia sent it from Homenworth." The countess came to the desk in the bedroom.There she installed a small echo hub that could receive important messages from all sides.

"At this time, the final exam has just ended. What's the matter?" The count lay on the bed, staring at the curtain above his head in a daze.

While the countess was reading the message, she tapped her forehead in a rare way, the nervous and worried look flashed across her brows, and then relaxed again, and there were even some mischievous smiles.

"My dear," the countess thought for a moment, "what do you think of Griffith?"

"A good tactical commander," the count thought for a while, "commanded a squadron-level battle, two brigade-level battles, and a corps-level battle. The talent is higher than that of the same batch of Shutoral."

"Well, William, I mean..."

Griffith's performance in several battles was getting better and better, even exceeding Earl Lamor's expectations.Things were getting complicated in Verona, and Griffith might make an excellent aide-de-camp, or even an agent.In the future, when the Earl is busy fighting for power in the Senate, Griffith may be able to lead the army alone and provide some arguments for the Earl's motion.

Thinking of this, Earl Lamor became interested and continued to express his opinion without being disturbed by the Countess:
"Of course, a legion-level victory is not convincing enough. In the Battle of Berrimion Ferry, the army under his command was composed of more than a dozen units. It had just suffered a defeat, and there were no senior officers present. The situation was special. .”

"Honey, I want to say..."

"Well, under normal circumstances, if a full-staffed regiment has four or five thousand combat infantry, and several squadrons of cavalry and artillery, the regiment leader can at least get the support of a local auxiliary regiment, with a strength close to [-]. ; also manage the logistics of transporting and serving thousands of people for this army. Griffith does not have his own adjutant and staff group, and commanding such a large-scale force will smooth out his mobility and flexibility advantages;

"Moreover, to lead such a force, it is inevitable to deal with nobles, commanders, and knights. Griffith does not have enough qualifications, prestige, and background to suppress them. This is different from the Battle of Berrimion Ferry .”

The earl became more and more enthusiastic. He quickly pointed out Griffith's shortcomings and thought about ways to solve the problem.

How many troops can Griffith command?
Judging from the current standard, 1 people is his limit.It's a little bit less interesting to command a large army.

How many armies can I command?The earl took advantage of the opportunity to think of this question.He made some calculations, and nodded with some complacency. He even wanted to ask his wife what she thinks. It would be even better if he could cheer her up.

"Snapped!"

Elena rolled a stack of reports into a stick and slammed it on the count's head:
"Who asked you this!
"You men are so annoying! Why don't you get the hang of it!"

(End of this chapter)