Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 243 Chapter 184 War Reparations and the Sky Griffin Knights!

In fact, Oliver, the president of the Hesse Provincial Council, was the last shrewd chancellor to bear the title.

The proposal he put forward not only has the advantages of the vassal-tributary system, but also has the characteristics of relatively developed industry and mining in this world.

Humans and dwarves have great advantages in engineering and industry and require a large supply of raw materials.

However, after this bloody battle, the Hesse Territory suffered heavy population losses.

Therefore, even if the Green Dragon ceded a large area of ​​fertile and resource-rich hinterland in the Blood Pine Forest to humans, the Hessen Territory would actually have no way to develop the more than 1,000 miles of land that had been opened up. The insufficient population was a major flaw of the territory.

Now, using this tribute trade system, the green dragon can shift from expanding its military and preparing for war to enslaving monsters to enter this territory and help humans mine minerals.

This is equivalent to improving humanity's ability to develop this fertile territory. Under the current model, humans and dwarves are responsible for upstream industrial production, and green dragons and their minions act as slaves in the human colony, mining basic raw materials.

This is actually equivalent to increasing the human population by thousands and greatly enhancing human mining capabilities.

As a time traveler, one of Su Li's advantages is that he is knowledgeable and has ample historical references. He decisively adopted Oliver's advice.

The order from Hesseburg reached the front in less than five days.

As expected, everything happened as Oliver, the director of the Provincial Council, expected. Hilde replied and the Green Dragon happily accepted the proposal.

Green dragons sleep for a long time. If they enter a transition period in their lifespan, such as the transformation from a young dragon to an adult dragon, they may sleep for more than ten years at a time. This means that if they can reach an agreement with humans, they can completely recover the war reparations in the time it takes to sleep.

Even if the green dragon were a little more at ease, it would not be paying tribute to humans, but rather humans paying it more than 13000 gold crowns every year.

This is not the Green Dragon trying to save face for himself, but a vivid demonstration of how he will not allow others to sleep soundly beside his bed.

If he doesn't reach an agreement with humans, the situation will be like using a stick to fight a wolf - a situation where both sides are afraid.

If humans don't weaken it, it will recuperate, endure hardships, and then destroy the Hessian Territory in one fell swoop.

The green dragon is also afraid that humans will send people into its dragon nest while it is sleeping and steal its treasures.

After all, it's now without its divinely chosen guards. If it's targeted by humans, it'll definitely be unable to sleep peacefully. Otherwise, the treasures in the Dragon's Nest will be stolen in a matter of months! This would be far more painful than forcing it to sign a treaty.

Hilde's reply made the entire Hesse Territory feel relieved!

Humanity desperately needed rest. After the war, it took them three full days to put out the fire in the city and suppress the riots.

Nearly two thousand of the most elite troops were isolated in the forest thousands of miles away, and only men, women, the elderly, the wounded and the sick were left in the city.

It can be said that Su Li was worried every day, fearing that something might go wrong in either direction.

After humans and green dragons signed a ceasefire and compensation agreement, they finally stabilized their direction.

Three days after Hildurd's reply, the high-ranking steward finally returned to Hesse Castle from the Blood Pine Forest.

After more than half a month of rest, Su Li's wounds have almost recovered. This is mainly because the effect of the laurel gem is really powerful. The medicinal wine brewed with it has effectively cured Su Li's injuries.

Even the guardian otter Kappa, seeing the miserable state of the territory, took the initiative to send a laurel gem to Su Li in advance, so that he could use magic potions to treat more wounded soldiers.

At least the territory's medical knight, Dietrich, successfully survived the crisis. He just put a bandage on his broken arm and began to treat other wounded soldiers.

The castle was now full of wounded soldiers, so Su Li didn't wait for their notification and brought Jin Ya directly to the entrance of Hesse Castle to greet his most important courtier, the War Saint Hildre.

When Hildreth jumped down from the griffin, Su Li, a grown man, couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat when he saw her miserable appearance. He now understood why Li Shimin, the strongest creature on earth, was so fond of crying.

How could one not be moved when seeing those relatives and friends who protected you suffer such severe damage in the war?
The once heroic, youthful and beautiful girl now has sunken eyes, a pale face and thin body. What is even more tragic is her body. The rumors are not wrong. She was almost drained of her vitality by the green dragon's magic. Her once cool and plump body is now just skin and bones, with hideous blood vessels visible under her skin. Not many people would doubt that she now looks like a corpse whose blood has been sucked dry by a vampire.

But what was even worse than the corpse ghost was that her thigh was broken, but she was very strong and was able to limp towards Su Li.

Su Li rushed over decisively and hugged her frail body tightly. He felt his heart twitch with pain as he held her bony body in his arms. He choked and said, "Baby, you've worked so hard! It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. I'm sure you'll be able to recover!"

Although Hildreth was physically weak, she was in good spirits. She raised her withered arm and wiped the corner of Su Li's eye with her slender, bare fingers. She said, "My Lord, please don't be sad. The magic has only drained some of my vitality and energy. I will be able to recover as long as I stay under the consecrated wisteria tree for a while. I may have to disturb Ingrid for a while."

"No, no!" Su Li helped her walk into the castle and said, "Ingrid won't feel disturbed. She will definitely do her best to take care of you."

Who wouldn't feel sad to see such a beautiful knight with bright eyes, white teeth and graceful demeanor turned into a skinny mummy and limping?
Dragging her right leg, her steps unsteady, Hildreth smiled brightly. Even her prominent cheekbones and sallow complexion didn't dampen her beauty. "My Lord, everything will be fine. Marshal Orstein discussed this with me and asked me to return because the situation on the front lines has stabilized. I can return to the territory to help you stabilize the situation."

Su Li's mood brightened a little after hearing this news. He asked, "We have advanced to the Green Dragon's lair. The Chaos Monster Chimera was no match for the Green Dragon's army and was skinned and executed by the Green Dragon Alyria herself beneath the Emerald Ring. Marshal Orstein is currently counting the treasures in the Green Dragon's lair and will soon lead his troops back in triumph. We have won this epic victory with fewer troops. After announcing this to the Goddess at the monastery, we will surely receive her generous blessing and obtain an extremely powerful and glorious relic!"

A new relic of glory?

Su Li suddenly felt excited, as it had been a long time since the territory had obtained a new holy relic of glory.

This epic victory has won unparalleled glory for the Goddess of the Fiery Sun. If the goddess bestows new holy relics of glory, the quality will surely surpass the previous ones, the Sun's Light and the Wind Wing Talisman.

This matter would soon have a definite answer, and Su Li didn't dwell on it. However, another thing surprised him. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "The Green Dragon is so honest and kind, cooperating with us to pay war reparations. Is it okay for you to come back? I'm afraid it will break its promise and send troops to attack us while we're retreating with the treasure."

The spirit of contract is probably the biggest lie in the world.

When he was young, Su Li once believed this propaganda, until one thing after another opened his eyes.

Politicians have no bottom line when it comes to profit!

The so-called spirit of contract is either beneficial to oneself or a deterrent to the other party's strength, so one dares not turn against the other party.

Otherwise, people will see in a few minutes what historical documents are and that they have no practical significance.

The current strength of the human army is less than 800 elite knights who can barely deter the green dragon army. However, in the forest, if the remaining thousands of green dragon soldiers take a risk, there is still a chance.

So Su Li was quite curious about why the Green Dragon was so obedient. He would rather give up more than 100,000 gold crowns with a broken heart than give it a try.

Is it because the green dragon is inherently treacherous and despicable, unwilling to take risks like the red dragon? Or is it because it has greater ambitions, restraining its stingy nature and wanting to earn more wealth from Su Li's tribute system?
Hildurde smiled and replied, "The reason isn't complicated. It's simply because the Green Dragon still relies on us to support its rule. It was injured in the battle with the Chaos Monsters, and its internal rule is unstable. And there's a huge threat from outside. We learned important news from the captured forest monsters. When the Chaos Monster Chimera Skaros saw that we had chosen to form an alliance with the Green Dragon and march towards the Dragon's Lair, it decisively summoned the other Chaos Monsters into the forest."

hiss~
Su Li took a deep breath when he heard this. This evil fool refused to stop even until his death. Before he died, he even brought trouble upon himself.

Hildurde comforted him, "My Lord, this is inevitable. Since we have chosen to cooperate with the green dragon, Skaros will certainly not sit idly by and wait for death. It will inevitably seek other reinforcements. The Chaos monsters Minotaur and Dragon Ape are undoubtedly its best partners."

"One of the important reasons Marshal Orlstein stayed behind was to review the Green Dragon's defenses. Our territory truly cannot withstand another such intense battle. Therefore, maintaining a treaty with the Green Dragon is not only beneficial to us, but also its best option."

Thinking of this, Su Li felt relieved. With the green dragon as a barrier, it could also resist the infiltration and invasion of the Black Forest Territory by the evil forces from the east of the Blood Pine Forest.

Otherwise, with the territory's current heavy casualties and depleted vitality, it would be impossible to withstand the next Chaos army or the invasion of the Howling Beasts. Su Li hadn't anticipated how quickly the world would change. Just two weeks ago, humans and green dragons were locked in a bitter, agonizing struggle. After the army's sweep into the forest, the two sides became comrades-in-arms, a desperate coalition.

Even he, the lord, found it hard to accept, let alone the soldiers and people under him who were full of hatred for the green dragon.

But fortunately, the strategic goal of the territory has been fully achieved, forcing the opponent to sign a series of unequal treaties. This is the most important sign of victory in the war between the forces in this world.

More importantly, this massive war reparations is enough to help the territory heal its wounds and resume production as quickly as possible!

In the border prince's territory, human life has never been valuable. As long as Su Li has money and food, the burned city will be rebuilt quickly and the burned farmland can be reclaimed.

Even people's hearts can be bought back. After all, most of the people who came to Hessen Territory were adventurous gamblers.

They fought desperately just to be able to follow Su Li and gain compensation in victory after victory!
Su Li was also very excited and asked Hildurde, "So what did we get from the Green Dragon's Lair this time? Are there really 100,000 gold crowns?"

Hildes nodded heavily immediately, raised his hand and gently stroked Su Li's cheek, saying with a smile: "I saw it with my own eyes, there are no less than 10 gold crowns, and there should be dozens of sets of vibranium rune armor."

"But the number of gold crowns we've obtained probably won't be 10. The most valuable items in the Green Dragon's Lair are actually the various rare treasures. More precisely, the gold crowns are probably the least valuable items there."

"According to the suggestion of Oliver, the head of the Provincial Council, we took the initiative to participate in the pricing of various precious treasures, converting the prices into gold crowns and deducting them from the war reparations."

"In this case, the actual value of our war reparations may far exceed 10 gold crowns, and may even reach 20 gold crowns. This is because we are deliberately lowering the price of these treasures."

The value was only lowered by half, not because humans had a bottom line, but because they were afraid of triggering the green dragon's rebellious psychology, making it feel that in the tribute trade system, humans had the pricing power and it had suffered too much loss.

A steady and long-term development is what the Hessen Lords most hope for.

Su Li had no objection to this deployment and said, "This is a good thing. Unlike the Green Dragon, we don't need so much wealth piled up in the treasury. It is most meaningful to transform it into props to enhance our strength."

Hildre smiled softly and nodded, then took a satchel from the half-griffin harness behind him, smiled gently at Su Li, and asked, "My Lord, guess what treasures and surprises I brought back for you?"

Su Li couldn't help but smile and said, "Hilde, how come you become a bit like my mother after going out?"

It was always Hildegard who called Su Li Dad, but Su Li had never called Hildegard Mom like other couples.

However, Hildreth's face was indeed shining with the glow of motherhood, like a mother who had gone on a long journey and brought back some toys and gifts for her baby son.

Su Li felt that since she came back, Hildre had been trying hard to comfort her, as if she really wanted to be her mother or sister.

Hildreda smiled broadly. Love is indeed a good medicine for women. The fatigue from travel seemed to be swept away from her body, and she became refreshed. "That must be because I was so worried about you while I was away. But I dare not treat you as my own son. I just brought back a few gifts for you."

After that, she took out three goose-white eggs with black patterns from her backpack and asked Su Li, "Guess what this is?"

Su Li's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the three beast eggs. He then looked at the smile on Hildurd's face again and again. After repeating this several times, he asked in shock, "Could these be... the eggs of a tiger-striped griffin?"

The Tiger Griffin, one of the noblest and most powerful creatures to soar through the skies, is a shrewd and expert hunter, able to anticipate their prey's every move. Once a potential target is spotted, a Tiger Griffin will stalk it without hesitation, waiting for days if necessary to find the right moment to strike.

The deafening scream of a swooping griffon is so terrifying it's said to be enough to send an entire army running for cover, lest one of their number become the beast's chosen prey. The griffons pounce on their prey, continuing to scream as they close in. They will continue their attack until no enemy is left standing.

Survivors of griffin raids often dream of being hunted by them and left torn apart years later. These powerful carnivores typically reside in the highest peaks of regions like the World's Edge Mountains and the Black Forest Mountains, only occasionally flying down to the lowlands in search of food when food is scarce.

On the other hand, griffons are also ranked among the most intelligent beasts of the Old World. If captured and properly trained at a relatively young age, they can make incredibly loyal mounts and can even be taught to obey and even anticipate commands.

As a result, the Griffin became the preferred mount of many great heroes of the High Elves and the Old World. Deathclaw, a legendary griffin, had done much for Su Li, and many other electors also praised the Griffins they rode.

However, only the richest and most powerful nobles in the empire had the opportunity to ride a griffin, and every noble was willing to spend a large amount of gold to buy a griffin egg or chick.

Electors bid far more for Imperial Griffins than for any other mount, and years of selective breeding have made some of the Griffins kept in Terrabheim's Royal Menagerie far more powerful than their wild counterparts.

Brave Imperial adventurers seek out griffon nests, steal their chicks, and raise them in captivity, selecting the strongest, smartest, and fiercest for their overlords.

Imperial Griffins are trained to carry their riders into battle, and their devotion to their riders is incredible, with many Elector Counts considering these ferocious beasts as loyal companions.

It can be said that within the empire, apart from the emperor and the electors, there are not many forces that can form a griffin cavalry.

For the dukes, even a unit of half-griffin cavalry is enough for them to show off.

The Empire's highest-ranking griffon cavalry were always considered top secret by the Electors, and would never easily enter the battlefield. As a result, the name of the Empire's Griffon Knights was rarely known. Conversely, the High Elves' Tar Ghavor Knights, a large group of Griffon Knights, were frequently active on the battlefield, becoming the ultimate cavalry force on the Old Continent.

Before today, Su Li had never dared to imagine that he could actually form a powerful knightly order composed of griffin knights!

Once this news gets out, not only the earls and dukes, but even some electors will be crazy!
Hirud nodded with a smile and said to Su Li, "Yes, this is one of the treasures sealed by the dragon with magic. It is said that it is not even a fortune obtained by the green dragon herself, but a legacy left to her by her father."

"But no matter what, our top priority is to quickly find a master for these three tiger-striped griffin eggs. Griffins are incredibly loyal; once they recognize a master, they rarely choose anyone else. This will help dispel the desires of many ambitious individuals for these three griffin eggs."

That's right!

That's right!

Su Li nodded repeatedly. Griffins are very noble creatures, and they have the integrity of a loyal minister who does not serve two masters.

A griffin egg might be coveted by many people, leading to vendettas or even the destruction and plunder of an army.

But if a griffin is successfully hatched, most people can only sigh and lament.

However, this is not very safe. Some domineering and cruel lords may force its knight master to continue serving him on the griffin.

The probability of this happening was relatively low. The greatest allure of the griffin to the nobles was the dignity and honor of being a mount. Once in the hands of other knights, its value would be greatly reduced. For the sake of a champion knight, it would probably not be worth it for many nobles to mobilize their forces and travel thousands of miles to the border prince to obtain one.

Su Li immediately said, "I'll give these two griffin eggs to you and Knight Orstein, one each. I'll decide who to give them to in the remaining moment. This is the best opportunity to rally people's hearts and win over the knights."

After a griffin reaches adulthood, it can accompany its owner for at least 5 to 7 years. This is not because its lifespan is like that of insects. In fact, griffins grown in natural environments can live to 70 to 80 years old, and even longer under artificial breeding conditions.

But few griffins can live to a ripe old age. Due to their aggressive nature and frequent participation in battles, most of them die in struggles or wars.

Su Li only hoped he wouldn't pick up one of the commemorative murals of the Six Horses of Zhaoling. As a war mount, the probability of death was even higher than that of the knight. Everyone knew that shooting the horse first was the right thing to do.

Anyway, after this war, Su Li's interest in going to the battlefield himself has diminished a bit. If he can farm, he would rather farm peacefully, which can also allow Death Claw to live another hundred years.

Then, under the burning gazes of the surrounding knights, Su Li quickly put away the remaining griffin egg and asked Hildurd, "Are there any other precious treasures?"

(End of this chapter)