Duke didn't feel much resistance to Paul's invitation.
First, the king's bestowal of a marquisate upon this young man, a title that had been lost for hundreds of years, clearly indicates that he regards him as a frontier military leader. Sentinel Legion, having returned to the north to fight the orcs, should be subject to his command.
Secondly, although the Sentinel Legion escaped, it was nearly wiped out. A large number of warriors were killed during the breakout. From Nerodan Corridor to Algin Plateau, and from Algin Plateau to Crystal Radiance, the ordinary soldiers either escaped on their own or were dismissed. By the time they set off from Crystal Radiance for the Northwest Kingdom, there were only about a hundred men left, all of whom were knights who valued honor above all else and their squires. The legion needed the support of a powerful force to restore its strength.
Finally, and most importantly, Paul Greiman defeated orcs, a fact that speaks louder than any cliché.
Duke accepted Paul's invitation and agreed to submit to his unified command, but still emphasized a few points: the Sentinel Legion was the King's army, fighting in coordination with the Northwest Legion under the orders of Rodney XVIII, and he himself was directly loyal to the King, and had a superior-subordinate relationship with Paul rather than being his vassal.
"Of course, what does the Duke regard me for? I myself am a loyal subject of the kingdom!" Paul replied with a smile.
Duke couldn't discern anything from Paul's face, which puzzled him. Wasn't the Marquis Glaeman displeased by the subtle probing in his words, which he felt was somewhat offensive?
In short, this remnant of the Sentinel Legion became an important ally of the Northwest Legion, and their experience with orcs was exactly what Paul needed.
Here I should mention the " Northwest Legion ".
Since Paul returned to Northwest Bay from Crystal Radiance, he has been using his marquess status to consolidate military forces in the areas influenced by Alda.
Strictly speaking, it's not really a form of integration, because for Alda's army today, all other armies in the region besides their own are nothing more than civilian organizations armed with primitive cold weapons. Calling them an "organization" is actually a compliment. The term "civilians" is relative to Alda's highly organized army. Even though there are many skilled feudal knights among them, they are still civilians in the face of Alda's army.
Moreover, many of them were conscripted peasant soldiers who didn't train much in peacetime and only trained at the last minute when war came.
Even with the title of marquis, leading such an army into battle would only be a burden to his own elite Alda army.
Therefore, the armies already held by the various lords of Northwest Bay were not very tempting to Paul.
However, those lords still possessed what Paul craved: human resources. Although their existing armies were unusable, they had plenty of young recruits in their territories, which they could easily train themselves.
Despite the significant progress in medicine in Alda and the declining infant mortality rate year after year thanks to Paul's vigorous promotion and strict measures, the growth of a generation cannot be accomplished in a short period of time. Alda, which had already embarked on the path of industrialization, needed a large workforce in all sectors. Alda's population itself was not large, and if Paul wanted to expand the size of the army, conscripting a large number of civilians would inevitably affect social production activities. Moreover, he was somewhat reluctant to send the talents he had painstakingly cultivated to the battlefield.
So he turned his attention to expanding his manpower to his neighbors.
With the title of Marquis, Paul returned to Northwest Bay and, through a series of negotiations and with substantial concessions—including technology licensing, business franchising, and share grants—gradually acquired various powers in the different territories of Northwest Bay, including the right to conscript soldiers.
This relieved Paul of his worries, allowing him to begin working on expanding the army.
Let's return to the ongoing intelligence meeting.
Count Cook expressed his dissatisfaction with the "border" mentioned by the intelligence officer, which seemed to be a reminder that their incompetence had led to the shrinking of the kingdom's territory.
The current Sentinel Legion refuses to acknowledge the treaty signed between the kingdom and the orcs. In their minds, the war is far from over, and Yellow Earth Land and Nerodan Corridor are merely fallen territories. They believe that one day they will set out from Blackstone Plain, march eastward to reclaim all the lost territories of the Aldor Kingdom, pursue the orcs to the plains beyond Watchers Fortress, and restore the Legion's former glory.
"I am very sorry, Your Excellency!" The intelligence officer realized that his words might have offended the old soldier and sincerely apologized.
Duke nodded and said nothing more. The intelligence officer looked at the documents and continued his presentation until it was finished.
Paul asked him, "Have the refugees been taken care of?"
The intelligence officer replied, "As per your previous orders, we have arranged for the refugees to work on farms, and those who wish to join the army have been placed in recruit training camps after passing a physical examination."
Paul nodded, not forgetting to remind him, "Be careful of spies! I heard that the Great Chieftain Abar is very willing to employ humans who serve him."
The intelligence officer nodded. "Please rest assured, we will carefully screen everyone."
Duke asked somewhat anxiously, " Lord Glaeman, please forgive my abruptness, but I feel that the recapture of lost territory is imminent. As we just discussed, our people are living in hell under the cruel oppression of the orcs. Every day we delay, the shame we, as soldiers of the kingdom, will increase."
"It was only a matter of time. In fact, I had been waiting for the war in the south of the kingdom to be quelled so that we could have a stable rear."
"You mean Giles?"
"Yes."
"That bastard finally got what he deserved, but unfortunately he escaped. Now, the wrath of judgment should fall upon the orcs."
Duke can't stop talking about his arch-enemy.
The latest novels are first published on 69shuba!
Paul hesitated for a moment before saying, "Actually, I happen to have a special guest here, who might be of interest to you."
"Who? Is it related to the orcs?"
"certainly!"
...
The bronze candlestick lay fallen on the cashmere carpet, the wax dripping onto the dark red fabric and solidifying into a murky substance.
Duke Bradley slowly slid down onto the oak bookshelf, a copy of "The Code of Chivalry" with a gold-embossed cover slipped from his hands, and the parchment pages unfolded, revealing the childlike annotations drawn by his eldest son when he was ten years old with a quill pen.
"Father, you see, protecting the weak should come before honor."
The childlike voice from his memory echoed repeatedly in Duke Bradley's mind, transcending thirty years.
A sudden gust of wind rushed in through the arched window, ruffling the silver hair at the back of Old Earl's neck. He saw his second son, Lemoster, standing before him, sneering. Lemoster spoke, his voice like a venomous snake slithering into his ear: "My brother is dead. I am now the sole heir of the Bradley Family."
A knock on the door brought Duke Bradley back to reality.
A servant's voice came from outside, "My lord, Marquis Glaeman has arrived."