"It's hard work, it's just a little twist and turn. Fortunately, thanks to the blessing of the Earl, I arrived at the Ark Harbor smoothly. Roger glanced at Alan and smiled.

Count Oban put down the book in his hand, leaned forward slightly, and said, "Speaking of that, I also want to ask you, Mr. Roger, to transport another batch of war slaves for me." I believe that it will not be long before they come in handy. ”

Roger was slightly surprised, but still said: "This is not a problem, but it takes time to prepare, after all, I don't have many war slaves on hand." If the number of Earls is large, I will have to draw them from somewhere else. ”

"I still need a thousand, at least."

"A thousand war slaves? Okay, I got it. ”

Allen, who had been silent, spoke at this time: "Is the Earl relying too much on war slaves, after all, they are only slaves, not an informal army. If you rely too much on it, you will never divide the army master. ”

The earl-you-you-small-say-more-new-most-fast-www.uuxs.cc-moved his gaze and fell on Allen: "Young baron, please tell me which territory you come from." ”

"Storm City, my lord."

"Storm City?" Count Orban looked at Roger in surprise and said, "Wasn't the person you worked with before the Baron from Storm City?" So this ......"

"Baron Maud is a thing of the past, and now Sir Alan is in charge of the city, and he is better than Baron Maude. Sir Allen and I have come to pay homage to you, the Earl Marquis, in the hope that we will have the opportunity to serve you. ”

Only then did Oban look at Alan seriously, and he asked quietly: "Baron Allen, in your opinion, how can you build an invincible Iron Brigade Lion?" ”

"Wealth, armaments, training, and the strong are all indispensable. As for the war slaves, I admit that they are good cannon fodder troops, but they are only cannon fodder. They should be an auxiliary part of the army, not a major link. ”

"It seems that Sir Allen has his own set of opinions on the management of the army."

"Don't dare, this opinion is nothing in front of Lord Earl."

Overban smiled, thought for a moment, and said, "I'll have a meeting in the future, if Mr. Roger and Sir Allen have time, why don't you sit in together?" ”

"Lord Earl, if it's a matter of secrecy, I don't think that's appropriate, right?" Roger said.

"It's okay, you're my friend and business partner. As for Sir Allen, I would like to hear his opinion. Oban glanced at the clock on the wall: "The meeting will be held in an hour, and you can rest in the fort first." ”

He tapped the silver bell on the table, and the steward of Mace walked in, and the count commanded, "Please take these two down to rest, they are my important guests, and you will entertain me well steward of Mace." ”

"Yes, sir."

Alan and the others were taken to an elegantly decorated room, and Mace withdrew, after asking the maid to bring coffee and snacks. When he returned to his study, the Earl of Auban said to him, "Go and call the man of the black cat, I want to know what has happened in the Frontierlands lately, and the identity of that Sir Allen." Mr. Mace, you have half an hour. ”

"I'll do it right away."

In the room, Alan was standing at the window, just in time to see the butler Mace Don't Leave. Behind him, Roger was enjoying a mellow coffee, and he blew on the hot air and said, "The Earl's reaction is a little strange." ”

"Mr. Roger, when did the Earl of Oban start buying war slaves from you in large quantities?"

Roger pondered for a moment and said, "Earl Oban has always had business dealings with me, and the largest merchant group in Ark Harbor, the 'Emerald Pearl', is run by the Ridley family. They have several caravans under their command, and almost all of the guards used in them are the war slaves I provide. But when it comes to buying a large number of war slaves, it only started half a year ago. ”

"It seems that this earl is ambitious."

"You mean, Lord Earl is ready to expand?" Roger's eyes lit up, no matter what time it is, war always brings great benefits. This is especially true of wars that are initiated by one's own business partners.

"It is evident from the city of Ark Harbor that the wealth of the Ridley family has reached the top of what the title of earl can reach. The Count was probably no longer satisfied with worldly wealth, and what he hoped for now was probably greater power. Alan turned around and smiled: "However, the Ridley family has a good skill in running the city, but when it comes to managing the army, it seems that it is not their forte. ”

"You're talking about the Earl's sore spot." Roger put down his cup and said, "The Ridley family has never been known for its use of force, otherwise it would not have succumbed to the relatively peaceful southern border of the empire. You must know that the northern frontier of the empire is the most chaotic place, with many different species and tigers eyeing each other. In the Northlands, all the families with a long enough history are known for their use of force, and at the same time, it is also the best place to seek military success. ”

"If the Ridley family had prospered in martial arts, they would have marched into the Northlands long ago, so why spend so many hundred years in Ark Harbor. As for the Count of Obana, as far as I know, this lord was quite accomplished in economics, city management, and even the arts. But in terms of personal force, it is only level 24. This is one level short of the Empire's standard for knighthood, and if it weren't for the Ridleys' huge tax contributions to the Empire every year, I doubt Lord Oban would have been able to maintain this title. ”

"What about their army?"

Roger shook his head and said, "Lord Earl has a lot of troops on the surface, a regular army of 5,000 people, and a war slave team of more than 2,000 people. But in fact, the army belonging to the earl's line was pitifully small, less than a thousand. As for the number of the so-called army of 5,000 people, it was actually supported by several large mercenary groups. These mercenary groups have been employed by the Earl for many years and guard several important cities in the territory. For example, Ark Harbor is guarded by the mercenary group of 'Black Wings'. ”

"As for the other knights attached to the earl, they are more like merchants and artists than lords or warriors."

Alan said in his heart, is this called gathering like things? At this time, the arches of the castle came in one after another, and each carriage had a different marking. Alan said softly, "Lord Earl has a guest coming. ”

Before the meeting began, Steward Mace returned sweating profusely, along with a pale-skinned man. In the study, the Earl looked at the man and said, "I think Steward Mace has already told you, what do I want to know?" ”

"Yes, honorable Earl Oban. It's just that you're asking for too much time, so we've only had time to get some of the information. ”

"Let's talk about it."

The man bowed and said, "Regarding the border land, the last half a year can only be described as turbulent. Sur City and Storm City changed hands one after another. The two lords of the city, Edward and Allen, suddenly rose up and replaced the original lord with unimaginable speed. In particular, Lord Allen, according to the information we have received, it seems that he is the young master of a certain family, who first came to Sur City as a merchant. Then he used some means to put his subordinates in the position of the city lord, and then in turn established his position. I can only describe this whole process in two words. ”

"And how much do you black cats know about this Sir Ellen?"

"Not much." The man grinned, "But one thing is for sure, this Sir Alan is not from the Empire. ”

"Why do you say that?"

"Because his identity document seems to have been made up by the magistrate himself. You should know that in places like the Far Lands, the Empire doesn't bother at all. And this Lord Allen, although the documents were made up by the magistrate himself, the procedures were legal. Even if this matter is put on the Imperial House, it will only be over. That's why I say that this adult's methods are really wonderful. ”

Oban frowned and said: "It's interesting, it's not a person from the empire, so joining the imperial car and seizing the title, the plotter will not be just a border land." What an ambitious little guy. ”

"Yes, this lord is not only ambitious, but also powerful." The Black Cat Man continued, "Not only was Storm City's army defeated by him, but even Black Iron Castle signed a peace agreement with Storm City for some reason. Lord Earl, I think you know better than I do what Black Iron Castle is. ”

"And there's a big thing that's happened recently."

"Oh?"

"On Danny's side, one of his armies, combined with the two armies of Castle Dawn and Bauhinia Flower, found an excuse to attack Storm City, but Lord Allen repelled it. Forget it, the commanders of the two armies of Bauhinia and Castle of Dawn also told him to be detained. For this reason, the two knights can be regarded as a disgrace, and not long ago they bitterly exchanged the ransom for their commander. ”

Earl Oban's eyes lit up, and he said happily: "In other words, this Sir Alan is very good at fighting?" ”

"Yes, and he himself is a fierce warrior."

"Very well, the information you provided is very informative. Go down with Steward Mace, and he'll give you what you deserve. ”

The man of the black cat saluted exaggeratedly, "Thank you for your generosity, my lord." ”

Just as he was about to leave the study, Count Orban suddenly said behind him, "I don't expect Daniel's side to get similar information, if it leaks out." You should know what to expect. ”

The man's back was cold, and he hurriedly turned around and said, "Although our black cat sells everything, we only don't sell it in principle." And one of the principles is that the same kind of information is not sold to the two masters, please rest assured, Lord Earl. ”

"I appreciate your professional attitude, work hard, and I believe that there are many places where I can use you in the future." The Count waved his hand.

The man went down, and after a moment Mace returned, saying, "My lord, the other jazzes have arrived. ”

"Okay, go and ask Sir Alan and them, let them enter the compartment first, and don't let anyone else find out."

"Yes, sir." R1058