Lord Saren: I have a proficiency panel

Chapter 17: The slave deceives the master and rebels against Tiangang
  Hearing this name, Luo Di was stunned. The thinly dressed, down-and-out man in front of him turned out to be the former owner of this territory. According to seniority, he should be his cousin.

As the captain of the Tower Dragon Knights, this man has been stationed here for five years. Now that Zemo ordered Barron and Lodi to take over, he could naturally return to the barony in the pass.

At that moment, Lodi and Barron got off their horses and hugged Joseph Salen according to etiquette.

Joseph seemed extremely happy. He personally led Barron's pony, and while leading everyone into the territory, he asked: "This pony was bred by the Bartlow family in Changhe Town, right? He is from our barony." He is an old stable boy. He specializes in training this kind of short-footed horse suitable for old people and women to ride."

"Yes." Barron nodded and said, "It seems that you really want to go back. In such a cold weather, you came out to greet us without even wearing an animal skin coat."

Seeing that Joseph was shivering from the cold, Lodi waved his hand and asked the attendant to give Joseph a leather jacket.

Joseph happily took it, hurriedly wrapped it around him, and said excitedly: "Ever since I received the letter from Lord Baron, I have been so excited that I couldn't sleep all night. I have been waiting for you at the door every day since five days ago. This place is wonderful. It’s really not a place for humans, so I’m really thankful that I didn’t die here.”

As he said that, he looked at Luo Di, shook his head and said, "Boy, you are going to suffer next."

Luo Di looked at him with some confusion and asked: "Although the weather is a bit colder, no matter how bad it is, you are still a lord. It's not such an exaggeration, right?"

"Lord?" Joseph smiled bitterly and waved his hand, gesturing for Lodi and Barron to look at him.

"Look at my dirty face and the clothes made of rags and cotton. Do they look like what a lord should look like?" Joseph muttered dissatisfied.

When he said this, he subconsciously looked around the territory, as if he was afraid that someone would hear this.

Barron was also a little confused and said: "The territory is not equipped with soldiers, but also military slaves. Don't there be servants to take care of you?"

"Alas" Joseph sighed slightly and said: "There are indeed soldiers and military slaves. But in front of them I am just a fool with no name. These soldiers are the real owners of the territory."

When Luo Di and Barron heard this, they suddenly realized that they had encountered a situation where a strong slave deceived his master and turned against Tiangang.

No wonder Joseph would personally stand at the gate of the territory to greet him, and not a single servant came to serve him along the way.

What's even more unreasonable is that the farmhouses and barracks in the distance are clearly lit, but no one comes to greet the new lord team.

"Joseph, can you tell us in detail?" Lodi asked softly.

"Of course, but not here." Joseph said: "I will take you to my residence and explain it to you carefully. In case you don't understand the situation and make them unhappy later, you will also be unlucky."

When Roddy and Barron heard this, they immediately looked at each other.

This Joseph seemed to be used to being bullied, and he did not dare to offend the soldiers here at all.

At the moment, Joseph did not take everyone into the fortress, but to a small wooden house in the corner of the territory.

The furnishings in the house were simple and somewhat drafty. Fortunately, there was a steaming stove, which brought some physical and spiritual warmth to everyone.

However, the room was too small to accommodate such a large number of people, so Luo Di ordered his servants and maids to go outside to light a fire to cook. Anyway, there is a livestock shed outside, which is just right to keep out the wind and snow.

Only Joseph, Lodi and Barron were left in the room sitting around the fire. Joseph poured a cup of hot tea for the two of them, and then began to describe the situation in the territory in detail. Originally there were four squadrons of knights in the territory, each consisting of a knight squire and fifteen soldiers. This adds up to a total of sixty-four people. These troop quotas are all included in the roster of the Seventh Army. Their basic military pay is paid by the legion. Of course, under normal circumstances, the legion will pay the soldiers' salary to the lord, and the lord can add some more and then distribute it to these knights.

In addition, there is an under-represented escort team and two under-represented infantry teams. These are considered the lord's own private armed forces and are not part of the Seventh Legion's establishment. The lord provides the military pay himself, and they are completely subordinate to the lord alone.

The above is the composition of all the troops in the territory.

Normally, whether it is a knight team or an infantry team. They all must obey the orders of their lord. Only in times of war or emergencies will the Knight Squadron be directly dispatched by the legion.

However, over the decades, the lords have changed frequently like a revolving door, but these knight squadron leaders have lived in this land for generations.

Over time, these servants gradually gained absolute power in the territory. Through collusion with local officers, they went to the legion to receive military pay on their own in the name of the lord. Moreover, he also resold materials and food in the territory wantonly to support his own private armed forces. Turn all the guards and infantry teams in the territory into your own team.

The lords who came to this territory were all the heirs who were sent here. They were unfamiliar with the place and had no titles, but they were unable to command these local snakes. Instead, they emptied their power.

The knight squadron leaders only need to provide these temporary masters with basic living security, prevent them from dying suddenly, and at the same time threaten them, so that they can perfectly control them.

Because these heirs were originally sent here because they lived a corrupt life and made too many mistakes, they had little ability in the first place, and they only stayed here for a short period of time. So almost every descendant here chose to swallow their anger.

As the saying goes, a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake. The lords know that they are just temporary passers-by, so why should they fight to the death with them? What's more, they don't have the strength to fight at all.

Even if he wrote to Baron Saren, it would be of no use in the face of the intricate local network of relationships. On the contrary, it will cause unnecessary trouble, making the baron even more convinced that he is a fool who cannot lead troops and is a source of trouble. What's more, the letters they send out will also be closely monitored by the squadron leaders.

As a result, this abnormal upper-lower relationship formed a perfect tacit understanding and balance in the Talon territory.

When Joseph first came, he was ignored for a while and even threatened. But he quickly adapted. Anyway, as long as you stay honest here and don't cause trouble, you will return to the baronial territory within the pass sooner or later.

He is the best among wimps, and he takes this kind of humiliation to the extreme. He was so bullied that he could only hide in this small wooden house in the territory, with only a lame servant beside him.

Fortunately, this hard life has finally come to an end.

At this time, Joseph's eyes towards Lodi were full of sympathy. He thought that Barron and Lodi were also sent away because they displeased Baron Saren, so that Lodi, as a descendant of Saren, actually became a subordinate of an old knight.

He advised the two of them: "This time, no one will come out to greet you. This is the threat they gave you. But don't worry, they don't dare to kill you. As long as you are willing to obey, you will be in peace. .This is what they asked me to convey to you."

After hearing this advice, Luo Di was noncommittal and just asked: "What are the strengths of these four captains?"

Joseph thought for a moment and said: "At least they are all apprentice knights. Two of them even practiced breathing techniques and reached the level of quasi-knights. They are very powerful, so you must not provoke them."

Luo Di smiled slightly, nodded and said: "It is indeed very powerful. Can you introduce it to me in detail? I want to understand it thoroughly so as not to offend them inexplicably."

"Of course, I can talk to you all night." Joseph said with an appreciative tone: "Lodi, you are very smart. You just need this kind of attitude. To be honest, when I first came here, I was still very smart. I was not angry, and it took me a few severe beatings to understand these truths. If I had had your attitude at that time, I might not have had to endure those beatings."

(End of this chapter)