Knight and Wand

Chapter 241 Triumph
There were 121 men when they set out on the expedition.

When they returned, there were 106 people and the bodies of 15 fallen soldiers.

However, the casualties did not undermine the morale of the Knights' soldiers, not only because of the honor brought by the victory, but also because they gained huge benefits.

Leon knew that it would be a pipe dream to build a disciplined elite army by relying on empty words to restrain the soldiers.

Without positive feedback that brings actual benefits, strict military regulations alone will only have a counterproductive effect in the long run.

Moral education and sense of honor are not useless, but it is too early to talk about these things with the majority of illiterate soldiers. In this era, soldiers go to the battlefield and fight with their lives for wealth, power and reproduction.
The soldiers will burn, kill and loot for no other reason than this.

In this case, we must ensure that the soldiers under our command have sufficient pay and food, and that rewards and punishments are clear at the root. Only in this way can the habit of abiding by military discipline become a spontaneous and positive pursuit of personal interests, and the indulgence in burning and killing that undermines military discipline become a negative detriment to personal interests.

After a glorious victory, Leon naturally would not enjoy all the glory. Although there were no clear regulations and rules on how much spoils and rewards the lord should reward the soldiers with, there were only vague proportions. How much the soldiers could get depended on whether the lord and the generals were generous or stingy.

However, when the Knights of Avalon were first established, the six-member inner circle meeting established a military reward and punishment and merit system within the Knights.

With a victory as large as the one in the Battle of Usato, every soldier can receive a victory bonus equal to his entire year's salary.

At the same time, the family of every knight who died heroically in battle can receive three years of the victim's salary as a pension, as well as a series of tax cuts and education quota benefits.

The internal treatment of such knights was very detailed. The most intuitive one was that 2,652 gold crowns were handed into the hands of the warriors without any delay.

But this is only a reward for victory, not part of the military merit promotion system. Monetary rewards can boost morale and inspire loyalty, but they still cannot fundamentally create the spirit of fighting.

Knights and vassals, why are they willing to die for their monarchs?

Country, nation, race, justice? These things are too far away and too empty for ordinary people in today's era.

The simplest and most direct reason for fighting is actually land.

Fight for your land.

A basic system of granting land based on military merit was being tried out within the Knights Templar.

Generally speaking, if an ordinary civilian soldier can kill an armored enemy on the battlefield, he will be promoted to a "sergeant" of the Knights Templar, and will receive roughly the equivalent of 20 acres of land and one acre of house land in Leon's previous life, as well as a corresponding bounty.

If one could kill five armored enemies, he would be promoted to "senior sergeant" and the land granted would be increased to 50 acres, with a two-acre residential land.

If one can kill ten armored soldiers, he will be canonized by Leon as a "Knight" of a knightly order similar to the family's inner knights, like Zabron and others, completing a class leap, with the land granted increased to 100 acres, four acres of residential land, improved food standards, and other benefits.

And if he is extremely brave on the battlefield and kills more than twenty armored soldiers.

It is different from the rewards in the first three standards, which are similar to free people owning land.

Leon will directly confer the title of "Knight of the Fiefdom" on him, and grant him a territory of no less than 800 acres, turning him into a real small lord.

He is not afraid of not having enough land to distribute, but is only afraid of not being able to distribute it. At the moment, he has no shortage of land. Ninety percent of the land under his name are large tracts of uninhabited areas waiting to be developed. What he really lacks are the population and talents to build them.

Even if in the future, each of the 500 knights could achieve military merits worthy of being promoted to a fiefdom knight, they would only receive half of the fiefdom in their name.

Moreover, after this battle, his territory expanded by another 40%.
Leon thought about it and looked at the leather bag hanging next to the luggage on the caravan.

Lord Elifuer didn't know what news he had received, and he was really afraid that he would be abducted by the king.

The conferment of new territories should have been conferred upon his return, but he hastily wrote it in Usato Territory and directly gave it to Azerien for safekeeping.

You know, I was still lying in bed at that time, and there was a certain probability that I would die.

However, Leon was curious, if he had really died in the battle, what would happen to his territory?

In the absence of any blood relatives or descendants, according to the aristocratic laws of the Kingdom of Orland that he knew, there were two possibilities.

One is to have the territory taken back by the feudal lord.

On the other hand, some people like Olivia, who are recognized as legally engaged, may also inherit their noble titles and territories.

The former possibility is certainly greater, but it cannot be ruled out that Earl Elliver would adopt the second approach out of consideration for his friendship and merits.

Especially since Olivia is not only his fiancée, but also a female knight who has been actually knighted.

But this is Earlliver.

What if it was the young master of Thorn Flower who had an inexplicable prejudice against me?

Leon raised his hand, injected magic power into the box beside him that kept the severed arm to keep it cool, and began to think.

Although he didn't die this time, what if in the future he and Earl Elliver both met with misfortune in a war and died at the same time?

The succeeding Lord Feo will most likely not make the same decision as his father. Even if he does not take over all the land, he will take the opportunity to take over most of it.

Unless Olivia is his real "legal wife" and not just a contractual "fiancée".

No wonder the issue of descendants of leaders was so important to ancient ruling groups.

He shook his head and lamented that it was just his brothers, who were all young people with little experience, who were not panicking about the situation of not having offspring and family yet.

If it were an experienced political aide, he would probably be getting anxious because he hasn't even set a date for his wedding with Olivia.

If a monarch has no offspring and dies unexpectedly, it often means that a military and political force is on the verge of collapse.

"marry."

Closing his eyes, he couldn't help but imagine how beautiful Olivia would look when she put on her wedding dress.
A hint of happiness appeared on Leon's lips. It was indeed time to think about the future.

I wasn't in a hurry before, mainly because I didn't expect to encounter life-threatening danger so soon.

Now I am afraid that if I die on the battlefield before marrying her, I will die with regrets.

Looking up, Leon looked in the direction of Avalon, looking anxiously.

He glanced sideways at Azerien beside the carriage. His chief steward was humming a Serian folk song and gazing at the valley from afar. He seemed to be missing his lover in the same way.

The wedding date set for this boy and Miss Raya, the Ascension Day of Ilaril, is only a little over a month away.

The team returning to Castle Avalon was not moving fast. The injured griffin and other wounded knights, including Leon, greatly slowed down the march.

Fortunately, we still passed the town and arrived at the fortress before the sun completely set.

Standing up with the help of the carriage frame, Leon saw the people who had received the news from the vanguard cavalry and had gone out of the city early to greet them. At first glance, he saw Olivia, whom he had been thinking about.

Olivia was not wearing armor. She knew that her lover liked her in a skirt. She took good care of her blonde hair and put on the white shirt and blue skirt that she usually didn't want to take out. She even gave her sword to Theresia who was standing beside her to carry it.

".Leon!" Seeing the familiar figure in the carriage, she let go of the anxiety she had been waiting for for many days.

Without waiting for the carriage to stop, Leon jumped off the carriage and walked towards the girl who was trotting towards him.

"I'm back." Hugging the girl in his arms, Leon lowered his head and felt the familiar fragrance.

However, Olivia, who was hugging her lover, suddenly froze. She leaned back, raised her hand and touched the empty cloak on Leon's side in panic, with uncontrollable heartache in her green eyes.

"How could that be?! What happened to your hand?"

Facing the sadness and rare tenderness on the girl's face, Leon lowered his head and stopped her from speaking with a kiss.

Leon deliberately didn't let anyone know about his injuries because he was afraid that she would worry unnecessarily.

Only after they separated from the passionate kiss that ignored others did he smile and gently stroke his lover's hair, comforting the little lion with tears in his eyes.

"I can bring her back. With my magic mentor here, there's nothing to be afraid of."

Hearing this, Olivia felt a little relieved from the sadness in her heart.

"Then are you injured anywhere else? Is it serious? Did I hurt you just now?"

The girl had no intention of being shy about kissing in public.

She carefully reached out her hand and lightly touched her lover's body, fearing that she might accidentally touch any scars covered by clothes and regret her excited hug.

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious. Just rest for a while." Although none of the ribs under his chest were intact, Leon still decided to show off a little in front of her.

At this time, he turned around and looked at the people who were coming, and found that not only Olivia, but also Corvis and Larian were there.

"When did you come back? Did you have a smooth journey?" Leon asked in surprise.

"It went smoothly, my lord. We just arrived back in Avalon five days ago," Larian saluted.

Corvis looked at Leon's left arm with concern and reported: "We have fulfilled our mission, my lord. Rangers from surrounding areas have responded to Lord Larian's call and arrived in Avalon.

There are more than twenty rangers we have contacted directly. Some of them are in the Holy Kingdom and may be on their way.

However, the rangers still know their companions and are in contact with each other. If we include the servants they may bring with them, I'm afraid the number of them is far more than the twenty or so we saw."

"Avalon can accommodate as many as you want. The more the better. Let's go back and talk while we walk." Leon nodded.

Leon and the others entered the city after leaving the army to Lohak.

"Olivia, how is Uncle Brian's recruitment of new soldiers going at the Selva Barracks?" He looked at the girl beside him.

"My father has already recruited enough qualified soldiers, but as for the issue of military horses, Ms. Martha still hasn't been able to find a horse dealer who offers the right price," Olivia replied.

"Don't worry about the horses. We have captured a large number of war horses from the Uriah people this time, a total of 300 horses. Now we should worry about how to quickly plan a large enough horse farm to accommodate them."

Leon said, looking at Azerien: "Tomorrow you will take Lord Elliver's letter and discuss the rotation schedule with the family garrison in the fortress, and vacate the barracks for our army as soon as possible."

After the expansion of the army, the barracks in Selva obviously could not continue to accommodate so many soldiers.

At present, his own military force is sufficient to protect himself, and he has also established contact with Redwin. To a certain extent, as long as Olivia's identity is not exposed, he can be regarded as the king's faction, so he does not have to worry about the threat from the Gunnar family in the west.

What's more, he still had Canis in his hand. During the time in Usato, Baron Grey Wolf sent people to look for his son many times, but he just declined and asked Canis to recuperate in Avalon and did not go on the expedition.

With such a "hostage", if nothing unexpected happens, the Gunnar family will weigh the consequences of provoking me for at least the remaining two years.

In this case, there is no need to continue entrusting the Farolisbon family's army to help guard Castle Avalon.

Even if he didn't have to pay the soldiers himself, feeding and drinking hundreds of people was still a big burden. The knights and soldiers under his command were now able to perform their role.

Once the barracks fortress in Avalon is vacated, it will save the cost of building additional permanent barracks.

After returning to the main castle and dismissing everyone to rest, Leon asked Larian, "Are your fellow rangers who came to help now in Avalon? They didn't come far away, and I want to host a banquet for them to express my gratitude in person."

Olivia next to her raised her eyebrows tightly and opened her lips, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.

Larian saw the anxious and worried look on the young lady knight's face. He had often seen similar expressions on Margarina's face in the past. So he looked at Baron Leon's left shoulder and shook his head, saying, "Sir, you are injured and have been traveling a long way. You should rest as soon as possible today. Besides, Miss Olivia and Lord Corvis have already received the knights on your behalf. You might as well rest for a few days. I think they will understand your inconvenience now."

"." Olivia also took advantage of the situation and tugged at her lover's right hand, blinking at him.

Leon tilted his head and saw her eyes suggestively glancing in the direction of the Mage Tower. He suddenly realized that the girl was worried that the injury to her broken arm would last too long, and wanted to urge him to find Laura for treatment.

Yes, a broken arm, such a serious disability, is obviously not a minor injury in the eyes of the world.

Master Hilgard said that he had to go to the Fortress Academy in the north to recuperate before he could try to find a warlock who specialized in this school to perform surgery to reattach his arm.

In other words, he knew that his young teacher, as an ancient Dharma King with great magical powers, could act so heartless and not take the matter seriously.

"Well, then I'll trouble you to tell them my gratitude. When I recover from my injuries, I will definitely host a banquet for all the rangers." Although he really wanted to meet these chivalrous wandering warriors as soon as possible, Leon did not insist.

After Larian left, he asked Corvis to take his broken arm and quickly took Olivia to the Mage Tower.

Leon hadn't seen Laura for such a long time, and he missed her very much. He wondered if his little sister had been with him during the battle with Count Arsen, whether his fate that day would have been better.

I was afraid that Laura would get angry and pinch my face when she knew that I almost died on the battlefield before fulfilling the agreement. Her pinch would be stronger than Olivia's and it would be extremely painful.

Now that she brought Olivia and Aka along, she hoped that with the two of them around, Laura would be able to give herself some face.

However, Leon was secretly glad that he had inadvertently kept a backup plan for the worst case scenario.

Even if he really died at the hands of Arsen, as long as the brothers could find a way to get the Moonfall Silver from the king, and add the materials that Ines would send later, and give them to Laura to make new Neti cards, maybe the little teacher could summon himself back from the Dead Sea.

Griffin Rider of Avalon.

The snake slayer who wounded the dragon slayer.

He is no longer an unknown person now. Even if he is not a hero, he is at least a celebrity with some reputation.

The only regret is that after becoming a card spirit, he and Olivia will definitely not be able to give birth to the fruit of their love.

Glancing at the worried girl, Leon's mind was filled with a flurry of thoughts.

Get married, get married, get married, get married.
It is like the reproductive instinct of a small animal that, when faced with the threat of death, pulls itself together and tries to leave behind offspring.

His inner desire for the one he loved intensified.

".Who hurt you so badly? Big Claw too, your body is covered with wounds and your wings are broken."

Unable to see the desire in her lover's mind at the moment, Olivia muttered with lingering fear, her eyes fixed on the box in Corvis' hand that contained her lover's severed arm.

She couldn't bear to touch the box. Even just taking a quick look at it made her feel extremely uncomfortable. She kept regretting that she couldn't fight alongside the other party when he was in such danger.

"I had a head-on duel with a great knight of Kantadar, but I was not as skilled as him and was defeated sincerely. Fortunately, Baron Kailan arrived in time and rescued me. I will tell you what happened later. However, I also got a blessing in disguise." Leon suddenly changed the subject and laughed when he thought of what he had gained after waking up.

"A blessing in disguise?" Olivia wondered.

"When your injury heals, let's go to the arena to compete. 'Master Leon' is no longer the same as before." He raised his eyebrows mysteriously.

(End of this chapter)