Warlords of the witcher world

Chapter 134 Kaedwin's Looting
January 1269, Vengerburg.

Seven months have passed since the signing of the "Taucend Peace Treaty". Compared with Wengerburg during the war, Wengerburg today presents a kind of normal prosperity, instead of the large population gathered for fleeing during the war false prosperity.

The streets were restored to their former appearance, and residents' lives became normal again. The influx of goods and people looking for opportunities from all over Aden made the city full of vitality again soon.

And this revival can be seen everywhere in Aedirn, where rebuilding efforts are in full swing, burned-out workshops are rebuilt, and trampled fields are regenerated.

Now, seven full months have passed since the war that shook the entire north, and these seven months were never peaceful.

The aftermath of the war raged, especially in the country that had been the scene of the Second Northern War.

These countries faced enormous pressure to maintain stability after the war. Famine spread in these lands, and many people starved to death after the war.

The situation in Adian is not very good either. The Lord Protector has spent a lot of energy, and it can only be said that he has kept the rations of all military personnel in Adian.

As for those outside these groups, resources are very, very limited, and they can only rely on their own abilities. In many places, it can only be said that their lives are hanging by their hands.

Hunger drives people crazy, and as famine spreads, riots naturally follow.

The northern countries, including Aden, have suppressed desperate hungry people during these seven months.

But fortunately, the society as a whole is still stable, and the proportion of people who really fell into the tragic situation of being starved to death is not very high.

However, the difficulties were only temporary after all. After all the ups and downs in the second half of 1268, the production and life in the north began to get on the right track, and the land was also full of vitality.

However, the more at this time, the more challenges will appear.

Today's Aden is facing such a challenge.

"My lord protector, my admiration for you is like a torrent of water, endless. Since the tax on salt and wine, our country's tax revenue has risen by a full one-fifth."

In the palace, Marcius, the chief civil servant, was praising the Lord Protector's tax policy.

Salt wine includes tax, this is a way Hemei came up with to make money.

As the name suggests, the state uniformly purchases the output of various salt mines and wineries, and at the same time, such products imported from abroad will be immediately controlled by the government.

The next step is to let businessmen or local powerful people buy the sales rights of salt wine, which is equivalent to these people directly contracting salt wine.

Of course, in actual implementation, in order to prevent unnecessary loss during the material transfer process, these people will directly designate the rationed materials of the salt mine and winery lords.

In return for contracting, they can "appropriately" increase the sales price of salt wine.

In order to ensure the effect of salt and wine tax package, Herme ordered to forcibly take over all the salt mines and wineries in the country, thanks to his lofty reputation in Aden and even the entire north.

If someone else said that, they would immediately be on fire.

Hearing Marciu's words of praise, Herme's face darkened, and he knew exactly what he was doing.

To put it bluntly, it is to discover financial resources, but to put it bluntly, it is to exploit the masses. The state squeezes one, and the tax contractors squeeze one.

For this point, the public is the most obvious, and someone has secretly named him He Papi.

But it had to be done, and post-war Aedirn was short of money everywhere.

Money is needed for reconstruction after the war, money is needed to reorganize the bureaucracy, money is needed to build artillery... money is needed everywhere, and I haven't mentioned Kovill's arrears here, and that doesn't need to be changed now.

There are many things that Herme wants to do, and doing things requires money.

Even though it is possible to earn a lot of money by relying on the lucrative artillery trade, there are still gaps everywhere.

Faced with these financial gaps, the Protector had no choice but to use different methods to toss the people and get more money from them.

As the chief civil officer, Marshall is naturally very good at observing words and expressions, and he immediately noticed the mood of the Duke Protector.

"In addition, regarding the cannon trade, Redania recently purchased four more cannons from us. Regarding the money, how do you use it?"

This person was thick-skinned enough, he just changed the subject as if he hadn't said anything just now.

"Send to the reconstruction fund, the most important thing now is to get the country out of the impact of the war."

"Yes, I understand. Regarding this month's tax report, I have put it on the table, please review it."

Herme had already found a place for the money, and Marcius quickly recorded the order of the Lord Protector, and then prepared to leave.

He just upset Duke Huguo just now, so it's better to get out of Duke Huguo's sight as soon as possible.

As an old civil servant, he knows best how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.

"That's right, Marshall."

When the chief civil officer was about to leave, he was stopped, which made him startled. Did the Duke Protector really want to trouble him for this?

"Your relatives earn a lot from the tax package, but I hope they pay taxes on time, and pay enough, and not too much, I don't like to have to start a thorough investigation when the time comes, and when the time comes What comes out, remember to take my words with you."

Marciu was stunned, and the expression on his face became ugly again. Why didn't he understand that the Lord Protector was beating him.

And what he was even more afraid of was that the Lord Protector actually knew what he had said to Selchik.

Thinking of this, the chief civil officer lowered his head even lower,
"As ordered."

"It's really dishonest. Does this guy think it's the past? Can't you let me worry?"

After Marcius left, the Lord Protector said as if he was complaining, but also as if he was stating the facts.

In the past seven months, Duke Protector has been overloaded with work, and has been working continuously every day. If his wife and daughter are not by his side now, he is really afraid that he will collapse one day.

So I am naturally full of dissatisfaction with the following carelessness.

"Civilian officials like Marcius are like this. Only by waving a whip at them from time to time can these guys be honest."

Charlene came out from the compartment of the room with a playful expression on his face.

"You also do your job well, or I might have to wave a whip at you."

Herme didn't answer his words, but said angrily,

"Please rest assured, Lord Herme, I have always taken pleasure in this, and the matter will never develop to the point where you need to wave a whip."

Charon bowed to Herme in a slightly exaggerated manner. Seeing him like this, Herme couldn't help but smile. This person is still the same as before, and he still likes to enjoy these things so much.

"Okay, now it's your turn. Tell me about the north. Henselt really wants to invade?"

When this matter was mentioned, the sarcasm on Charlene's face immediately disappeared, and only seriousness and concentration turned.

"We have already found out that Henselt has gathered 1 people on the border, and it has been determined that their goal is Upper Aedirn. It seems that Henselt is bound to win this time. The 1 people are mainly Kaedwen's elite However, if war breaks out, it is hard to say how many people Henselt will mobilize, after all, Henselt was the least affected country in the Second Northern War."

Hearing this, Herme slapped the table uncontrollably, showing his anger.

"Only seven months after the end of the war, Henselt launched a war against neighboring countries. This guy is really a cancer. We are in a critical period of post-war reconstruction, and it is impossible to mobilize like we did against Nilfgaard. With a large number of troops, it seems that he is bound to win Upper Aedirn. When I started the second Northern War, he was planning to attack Aedirn. If I hadn’t led the army here, he would have succeeded.”

"So Lord Herme, how should we respond? War seems inevitable."

These words made Herme silent. He really didn't want to fight this war.

If there is too much mobilization, the post-war reconstruction will inevitably be greatly affected, and if there is too little mobilization, the battle may not be won.

Kaedwen is not Aedirn. They don't have Nilfgaardian troops to cross the border, so they don't have to worry about rebuilding after the war.

It's just that Henselt didn't give him a choice, and now he has only one choice, and that is war.

"Henselt wants to fight, so let's fight, prepare to mobilize, it is the lowest level of mobilization, and the overall situation of reconstruction cannot be affected."

The Lord Protector made a decision that this war must be fought, it is inevitable.

"By the way, I remember that the current guard of Upper Aden is Sakia."

After making up his mind, it occurred to Herme that, after returning from Hakland, he had sent Saskia to Upper Aedirn.

Then Herme forgot about it in her busy work, and now she suddenly remembered it because of the Kaedwen invasion.

"Yes, it is the girl you brought from Harkland. She has shown great ability. The border guards in Upper Aedirn are basically tamed by her. You know, these people can send a woman to you at first. The opinions of leading them are very strong, what's the matter?"

"No, nothing."

Herme said, but the smile on the corner of his mouth showed that this was not the case, and there was a bit of complacency in his tone.

Charen narrowed his eyes, trying to see what the Protector of the Kingdom was doing, but he couldn't see anything in the end, and finally bowed and exited the room.

.

Upper Aedirn, north bank of the Pontal River, in the Kaedweni camp.

King Kaedwen's big tent has a northern style. The throne is covered with perfectly peeled wild bear skins, and there are several sets of armor with fur nearby. Torches decorated with antlers shine in the tent.

"Trash! You are a bunch of trash! You can't even defeat a woman, are you still Kaedwenians? You lost so badly in front of a woman! It's just a woman!"

More bandit than king, Henselt was snarling at the Kaedwenian knight kneeling before him.

The king's throne is flanked by two Kaedwenian knight guards, wearing unicorn smocks and holding axes.

These knights were covered in blood, and their overalls were also torn a lot. It could be seen that they had experienced an embarrassing battle.

"Count Lida was still retreating and fell into the river and drowned. Damn it, he died like a joke. What a shame. Damn it, may his whole family be infected with the plague. Forget it, I You should come by yourself, immediately send someone to Lida, and deprive me of his territory!"

No one dared to speak out, all of them were afraid of offending the king's wrath, even Vandergrift, the most popular star in the Kaedwen court.

In Kaedwen, King Henselt has absolute power.

The northern countries have built a lot on the road of centralization, and Kaedwen is undoubtedly the one who is at the forefront. When other northern countries are still recovering power in the form of boiling frogs in warm water, Kaedwin The king can already directly deprive the vassals of their territories.

And this is also due to the harsh environment of Kaedwen.

As the largest country in the north and the second largest country in the world, it has a cold and merciless climate. There are a large number of vast virgin forests in the territory. constitute.

A harsh environment produces harsh people, so the political struggles within Kaedwin have always been known for their brutality.

At the same time, due to the barrenness of the country, this country is always looking for a richer country. Now under the rule of Henselt, it is constantly causing troubles for neighboring countries.

However, in the face of Henselt, there are still people here who dare to challenge his authority.

That person was Sabina Grewishger, known as "the true Kaedwen daughter".

As a member of the Coven of Sorceresses, Kaedwinian court warlock, and most irascible sorceress, Sabina had no fear of Henselt.

Of course, this was also because she knew that Henselt could not easily move her and execute her like the nobles in his country.

And like her temper, Sabina was wearing an aggressive outfit, which was very eye-catching among the armored warriors in the big tent.

"Stop venting your useless anger, it will only make you look like a clown, Your Majesty, the important thing now is how to break through the Pontal River."

Sabina is extremely opposed to this war, and so is the attitude of the sorceress assembly, which will only make the unity of the north look like a joke.

But no one can change what Henselt has decided.

Even Sabina did not dare to confront Henselt on such a matter.

"Witch, how did you talk to the king? Is this the gesture a courtier should have?"

Vandergrift immediately stood up and accused the sorceress. He had long been dissatisfied with the scantily clad sorceress. This guy stood there like a bitch.

His words aroused the approval of many people present. If they were in the courts of other kingdoms, these people would not express their opinions, but here is Kaedwen, and people disdain to hide their opinions.

"Oh, well, I apologize to His Majesty the King for my rude words, so Mr. Vandergrift, is it alright?"

Sabina responded with yin and yang, with a mocking smile on her face and contempt for everyone present.

But Henselt didn't continue to get angry, instead he calmed down because of Sabina's words.

But looking at Henselt's appearance, you can tell that he has remembered this matter, but it's just not accounted for now.

He thought for a while and made a new decision.

"Vandergrift."

"exist."

The tall, bald general immediately knelt on one knee in front of the king.

"You lead the Brown Banner Battalion to break through the Pontar River, Sabina, I want you to cooperate with Vandergrift."

Asking Sabina to cooperate with a warrior made the sorceress obviously very unhappy, but when it came to her words, there was only "obedience".

Even female sorceresses with extraordinary status cannot refuse the king's order, after all, their identities are the king's courtiers after all.

But just when the few people were about to act, a soldier wearing a unicorn hood rushed in, and he was immediately knighted, and this did not affect the weight of the news he brought.

"The men of Aedirn have crossed!"

"what?"

Henselt suspects that his ears are broken, and the Adian people take the initiative to cross the river?Are they courting death?
Immediately the king came out of the tent, and his knights and officers followed immediately, and the king came to the tallest tower in the camp, and went up to observe the action.

I saw that in the direction of the Pontar River, Henselt saw many ships with the flag of Aedirn crossing the river, and they were fighting with Kaedwen soldiers who were resting on the bank of the river.

These Kaedwenians were all the defeated ones who failed to cross the river before, and now facing the Ardians who came across the river to hunt them down, they naturally collapsed.

The Aedirians did not forget to light all the Kaedweni boats on the shore, and the black smoke continued to rise into the sky. Against the backdrop of the black smoke, the Kaedwenians looked even more embarrassed.

Now the Aedirians are chasing the Kaedwenians and running around. Those defeated soldiers are not capable of fighting at all, and the other Kaedwenians are still watching in a daze. Aren't they the attackers?Why did you kill him from the opposite side?
Seeing this scene, Henselt's face turned red immediately.

"Trash! Where's the Brown Flag Battalion? Let them pass right away!"

Following Henselt's order, the Brown Banner Battalion moved immediately, and the most elite light cavalry team in Kaedwen reacted very quickly.

It's just that the Adian people didn't give them a chance to fight. When the Brown Banner Battalion arrived, the Adian people had gathered their forces, and the boats that got on board returned directly to the other bank.

The Brown Flag Camp also suffered a wave of crossbow arrows and bullets from these small boats, and several people fell down. They couldn't do anything about the other side, and they seemed extremely aggrieved.

What was even more embarrassing was that at another place on the north bank of the Pontar River, there was a lot of black smoke rising into the sky. Seeing that, Henselt's expression became even worse.

Because in that direction was placed the large ship that Henselt had collected for this war. Looking at the black smoke, they might all be ignited now.

Up to this point, Henselt still didn't understand that he was being attacked, and the goal of the woman across from him was the anchorage of the ship!
King Kaedwen immediately became incompetent and furious, and the Kaedwenians could only bow their heads to be scolded, not daring to say a word, for fear of offending the king.

As for Sabina, the sorceress looked at the black smoke and thought deeply in her heart. The development of this battle was completely beyond her expectation...

(End of this chapter)