Four-Armed Divine Emperor

It's okay to bear some injustice for a dying person.

Anyway, I don't plan to let him stay in peace for much longer.

Once Al has completed his task of finding a base for himself and has basically stabilized, and has explored his own abilities, his instinctive ambition will sooner or later urge him to expand.

written request for leave

Ask for leave——————————

This week is already in arrears...

Damn, one day counts as one update

Chapter 57: Succession

After this power transition that could not even be called a "coup", Ansuna, on behalf of her grandfather, met with many nobles in the territory in the hall where she had once met El.

The old patriarch showed up with a kind face, holding his "great-granddaughter", and was then led to the back by a maid. Ansuna held Aisha and sat on the first seat. In order to avoid suspicion, El sat where he sat the first time.

Before leaving, the old patriarch mentioned his eldest son who died young, saying that the eldest son was the family he had designated. The eldest son had only one daughter, Ansuna, so the inheritance rights would naturally belong to her.

He never mentioned his two good-for-nothing sons again, and his attitude was very clear.

Ansuna thus officially took control of the territory of Devangel.

There was no bloodshed, no flashing swords, which made many territorial nobles feel relieved. Although they were facing Ansuna who had thousands of elite expeditionary forces and the most important thing was that she had the support of El, they would never dare to interfere in the power struggle within the Devon Gale family. However, after all, tradition

Chapter 70

It is better not to disturb the hierarchy easily.

Maintaining even a superficial decency is enough for everyone.

At least you don't have to bear the moral pressure of "disloyalty".

Especially after El and Ansuna jointly announced:

Their union has produced a child, El's eldest daughter, the "Elsa" in Ansuna's arms.

As for the terrifying speed from union to childbirth, it is generally believed to take less than a month. In the eyes of those who believe this, it is naturally due to some mysterious power of the wizards.

A few people with complicated thoughts secretly thought about it: Could it be that Ansuna had already had a connection with El, and the two had already been together in the floating city, and later separated, and Ansuna returned to the territory first... Such speculations, but it was useless. Not to mention that they were a normal couple in contact, even if they got pregnant before marriage, even if the couple was married, it was not a big problem in the secular aristocracy. At most, it would become a topic of gossip that damaged the reputation of some individuals and families.

What's more, it involves a wizard, and even the old patriarch happily accepted Ansuna's "power seizure". Even though he had already known about the changes in the army and the imprisonment of his two sons, he did not make any preparations and opened the door to welcome her.

Many people also feel proud of being close to the main family. A powerful wizard left his bloodline in the Serso area and ruled the secular territory here. It is foreseeable that for a long time, the territory of Devangel will continue to grow because of this situation. Since he has supported his own heirs to take the throne, it is unlikely that El will leave in a short time, and Devangel's power will soar!

As vassals of Devangel, their status will naturally rise.

......

Ansuna held her and El's child in her arms and accepted the worship of the crowd. She also issued her first official order:

A new city will be built on the Wall Plain, and manpower and resources will be mobilized to develop the fertile land and build a new core of the territory;

At the same time, a conquest campaign will be launched towards the border area to bring this chaotic land sandwiched between two countries for hundreds of years into the control of the Brio people. All those who are eager to make achievements are encouraged to join. Glory, wealth, even noble status and territory can be obtained!

As the heir of the family, Ansuna herself will not stay in Devangel for a long time, but will govern the eastern part of the territory and the construction of the new city in Muten.

At the same time, she announced to the nobles the results achieved by the Gilxerxes in the negotiations. The 80,000 people in the main force were enviable, but the powerful Ansuna waved her hand and all the migrated population had to be resettled on the Vol Plain to fill the population of this almost undeveloped land.

And the previous promise of "rewarding according to merit when coming to Devon Gael" was also made at the same time.

The dignitaries followed Ansuna to the military camp and distributed rewards in front of everyone. Since the main reason for the victory was El and the mountain people who served El, the rewards for mortals were not very dazzling compared to such a victory, but they were generous enough.

Ansuna rewarded more than 200 people at one time and made them obtain the status of "knight", which was the threshold of nobility. She provided each of them with a fief of at least 20 people and corresponding land. However, all of them were located in the Wall Plain. However, for these people who had been psychologically hinted at and were already very loyal to the El people, as long as the treatment was not "harsh", they would accept it.

As for those who already possessed noble status, they would be rewarded with money and material, and would also be allowed to expand new territories. However, this was also not unacceptable to the nobles in Wall. Their quasi-fiefdom in El—although it had not been officially announced, it could be seen from the fact that Ansuna had gone to great lengths to develop Wall and build a new city, and even wanted to live there permanently, that this piece of land was obviously the kingdom that the female knight intended to build for herself and the mage, and it was also a core territory that would be left to future generations decades later.

For the powerful people whose heads are still in the old territory, there is nothing wrong with opening a branch in the Wall Plain. It can also show their closeness to the new master and Ai'er.

Almost all the families present had more than one-line descendants for the second and third generations. Because of their bellicosity and backward civilization, as well as the frequent frictions and conflicts with hostile forces around them, the probability of the powerful dying in wars or from illness and injury was not low. If they only had one lineage, there would be a risk of extinction if something went wrong.

For example, the second generation of the Devengail family consisted of three sons and daughters. However, the eldest son, Ansuna's father, who was outstanding, died young, and the other two were useless and drunkards.

This is acceptable for the noble families because they are relatively stable. Even if their offspring are not capable enough, it is enough for them to be the head of the family to maintain the status quo. For the lower noble families who still want to rise, pinning all their hopes on an offspring with outstanding abilities is certainly the greatest opportunity, but also the greatest risk. They must strive for success in many areas and not put all their eggs in one basket.

Therefore, it is a wise move to select some capable offspring to go out and start a family in the Wall Plain. If you are lucky enough to stand out in Ai'er and be appreciated by the wizard, you may end up becoming more prominent than your own family.

In one reward, nearly half of the 80,000 people demanded from Xerxes were taken away, and tens of thousands of acres of land were distributed. However, most of these were not "land" but "food", and were all included in the Wal Plain, which required a period of development before they could be used.

Chapter 71

Can produce.

For those with shallow roots, such as the expeditionary soldiers who made their fortunes through this battle, it was not a problem to move their family roots along with the rewards to the Wall Plain. On the contrary, after an unparalleled victory, their confidence was high. In their eyes, the mountain people were not enemies worthy of a fight, but rather a source of wealth and military exploits. The same was true for the nomads in the north and the orcs in the south.

After completing the arrangements in the territory, Ansuna did not stay for long. After gathering a group of subordinates in Devengail and meeting with the retainers to confirm her leadership position, she began to move towards Muten with large and small bags - the dowry provided by the head of the family.

Chapter 58: Promotion Space

A group of mounted warriors galloped along the dirt road.

On both sides of the road were vast, vibrant farmlands. It was the sowing season, and many residents were working in the fields. They stood up from time to time, looked at the marching warriors, and gazed with respect and awe at the purple-red flag fluttering in the wind.

The knights were not alone. Behind them were two teams of infantry, one in front and one behind. In the middle of the infantry were hundreds of prisoners, both men and women, whose hands and feet were bound with ropes.

Another batch of captives from the mountains!

Such scenes are not uncommon for residents living near the "Norman" city today, because almost everyone in the Kingdom of Blaeo has known about the lord's call to conquer the mountains. In Devengale's external propaganda, the borderland is a land of adventurers and brave men full of challenges and opportunities, and a golden land full of wealth.

Here, even if you were an unknown person the day before, you could reverse your identity overnight.

As long as they could capture even the smallest mountain tribe, with only a few people, they could bring the captured people to the "Norman-friendly" mountain tribe in exchange for land and rewards. If they performed outstandingly bravely in the joint operations, they could even be introduced to the "Deven Gaelic Legion" and receive an audience with the local lord and "Lord Aiel"...

These measures, originally intended to recruit human resources and with some degree of "exaggeration and publicity", soon caused a heated response throughout the kingdom that even the people who formulated the policy had not expected.

Adventurers and mercenaries who came from all over the Kingdom of Blaeo and even from neighboring countries, bringing their own dry food, even occupied all the houses in the territory at one point, forcing them to designate a piece of open space outside the designated urban area as a place to set up tents and temporary residences.

What are most of their identities?

The war hounds with keen sense of smell who come in search of scents - mercenaries, and adventurers with dreams and a desire to make a fortune - these are the two most common identities. If we break it down, we can see:

The descendants of wealthy families from the lower middle class have a certain amount of family wealth, received a better education than commoners, and have martial arts skills, but have no fiefdoms, that is, they do not have formal noble status. They are eager to make achievements, or simply because they are the second son or other reasons, they are destined not to inherit the family property. After ascending to the throne, the heir can only take a very small part of the property and set up their own family. So they choose to seek support from their family while they still have a say, "divide the family" in advance, and then come to Normandy to adventure;

Heirs without inheritance rights in lower-ranking noble families similarly faced the dilemma of being kicked out of their homes after the family split. Alternatively, they could pledge allegiance to the heir, transforming from equals to retainers. Their own descendants would also be obliged to serve the master, effectively serving the family as parasites. They, too, longed for a chance to change their fate, a path to advancement beyond intrigue and infighting to inherit the family fortune.

In general, those who have ideas, dreams, want to change their social class or simply want to get rich, from commoners to wealthy families, from farmers' sons to aristocratic descendants...

What El didn't expect was that the propaganda he had originally done after discussing with Ansuna to attract population actually played an alternative role of "seeking talents" and "promoting talents" in the cultural circle of the remnants of Asta, where the social environment is relatively harmonious and stable, but the hierarchy is also strict, and there are very few cases of Brio, the kind of rebellion of the Xerxes next door.

Over the past hundred years, although there have been constant small-scale wars in the Thurso area, there has been no major chaos. Although the Kingdom of Bleio cannot be said to have enjoyed long-term peace, the surrounding environment is mostly stable. There are occasional conflicts and frictions with neighboring countries and old enemies, which are more like a kind of "looking for trouble when there is nothing to do - we are used to fighting", "traditional opposition" and "opposing traditions".

For example, the Adwin's Western Expedition is probably the biggest scandal that has happened in the surrounding countries in the past few decades. Everyone is watching the show, intending to see what the situation will be like this time of "Ashtar vs. Zoroastrians". If it develops into a big war, it is not impossible to get involved and have a mix of people, but if it is limited to a "border war" between the two places, then it is better to forget about it.

Ultimately, this "intermittent tanking" is because both teams have given up on completely destroying each other. Simply put:

Counting back to the ancestors of the ancient empire who launched the Eastern Expedition, and if we go back a little further and include the westward expansion of the ancient Zoroastrian dynasty, then the two sides have been fighting for over a thousand years. The Asta Empire has long been lost in the dust, and the successors have fought each other. Those who continue to rule on the old lands no longer recognize Asta. To them, the Asta Empire is just an ancient empire that was once glorious but now buried in the dust of history.

Chapter 72

—no different from any other great royal power of old.

No matter how great you are, can you compare to the Witch Kings?

The white tower floating in the air was pressed down!

The same goes for the fire worshippers. The Alan people probably forgot long ago that they had such a group of distant relatives in the barren land in the north where the power of the holy fire did not favor them. They also remembered the prince who resolutely moved north with his entire clan to "take revenge" and seek revenge on the remnants of Astra, and finally established the Kingdom of Xerxes. Even the Xerxes themselves were a little vague about the story. After all, the royal family had changed four times, and now it was declining again. Although the priest king was sacred and noble, he was young, and his decrees were limited to the city of Parsamende.

At a time like this, they still insist on holding on to a grudge that went back nearly a thousand years and has not been severed for thousands of years... It is indeed reasonable. After all, tradition and sacredness are important. However, if you only talk about it but don't move your body, everyone will find it boring.

We've been fighting for a thousand years without any result.

In history, there have been times when Xerxes displayed his might and laid siege to a city, and when the Ashtar coalition marched eastward to besiege Pasamenes. But in the end, as if the scales of fate were determined to maintain a balance between the two sides, neither side could achieve a truly decisive victory. Instead, they were only bleeding again and again. That's why everyone started fighting later, without any tacit agreement on a ceasefire, using natural barriers, unowned land, and third-party forces as neighbors and protection.

In this case, production develops and population grows rapidly, but...

Without major wars, no one died, no batches of positions were vacated, and without military merits, the room for advancement was greatly compressed. According to Devengail's situation, in the past few decades, there were only two cases of ordinary people being granted territories and promoted to nobility, and most of the time, granting them land or a knighthood was considered a great reward.

Chapter 56: Norman Administration

The martial spirit and relatively stable environment gave rise to a large number of "capable people" who were "unappreciated".

When people have enough to eat and are generally well-off, and given the hierarchical system of a feudal state, it is impossible for them to choose rebellion simply to "get ahead." Even such an idea is unlikely to arise, as they will only be regarded as the public enemy of the entire society and become the target of public criticism.

As a result, a large number of such "grassroots heroes" could only be lost in the crowd and waste their lives. As a result, a large number of people who were more nicely called "chivalrous knights" or "knight errant" appeared, but were actually a group of wandering warriors.

The lands were owned by their owners, the property was heir-owned, and noble status was difficult for even the lowest knight to acquire...

And now, on Devengail's side, first of all, a brilliant victory shocked the world, and then, under the influence of El, the entire expeditionary force, the most elite military forces in the territory, and the territorial nobles represented by them were all loyal to him and Ansuna. It was very easy for him to do whatever he wanted, and there was no possibility of open opposition.

In a barren place like the Serso area, a wizard is like a demigod. No one would be stupid enough to openly stand up against El, not to mention that the matter itself was "done by Ansuna". At most, they would discuss privately that the wizard's woman was relying on the favor to act recklessly and destroy the country's traditional hierarchy.

Many lords were also happy to see a large number of "vibrant groups" in the territory spontaneously migrating towards Normandy. After all, these young and strong people, if armed, could easily become an unstable factor in the territory. No one had the courage to openly rebel and "eliminate classes and equalize the rich and the poor", but there were still many people who wanted to be masked bandits or outlaws, robbing a lot and running away.

After all, in the relatively loose situation of the Thurso area, if a few people committed a crime in Blaeo or even in the royal capital of Karlvik, and forged their identities to come to the Devangel territory, it would be almost impossible to be detected.

Now they are attracted by the call of "Conquer the Mountains" launched by the Devon Gaels, and are flocking to the Wall Plain and Norman City. For the lords of various places, there is no harm in it except that there are fewer cannon fodders who can be used for tasks such as clearing out bandits and thieves and hunting monsters and beasts. On the contrary, it can also bring about an improvement in stability.

There's nothing wrong with that.

In order to show goodwill to Ansuna, they would even encourage and offer certain travel subsidies so that those very "energized" people or groups in the territory would take the initiative to go to Norman to pursue opportunities.

.........

So, is this Norman city, a land of mountains and the old frontier that has shaped such a hot topic about adventure and opportunity, really as good as advertised, a golden land full of opportunities?

Apparently...

not quite!

The border area is regarded as Al's own back garden. Those mountain people who have a thousand-year tradition of worshipping the "Four Arms" are all his potential believers in a sense.

How could Ai'er possibly treat this region as a historical colony, allowing adventurers who had no advantage over the mountain folk, who were naturally close to him, to come and stake out his territory? Just like the westward expansion, eastward expansion, and slavery in history...

If Ai'er wanted to build a mortal army for himself, then the savage mountain people - who were backward, but had strong physiques and habits, and could achieve fanatical beliefs with a little brainwashing - would undoubtedly be the best cornerstone of his legion.

In this case, it is impossible for Al to kill the mountain people, even those who disobey him.

Chapter 73

same.

Putting aside the folly of calling on a group of Ashtarians to slaughter his own followers as the "last redeeming god," even from a purely profit-oriented perspective, what would be the point of killing and capturing all the mountain dwellers in the border areas? Would they rely on the Ashtarians to gradually develop the mountains?

The vigorous "Conquer the Mountains" campaign is actually a scam trap that says, "No experience or academic qualifications are required; work from 9 to 5 with two days off and no overtime; starting monthly salary is over 10,000 yuan; the company will organize a tour to Southeast Asia in March after joining the company; remember to bring your passport and ID card."

El needed manpower to develop the Wall Plain and build his "Norman City". The speed of relying solely on the strength of Devangel would be far from meeting his expectations, so he had to find a way to get some population. After much thought, he thought it would be a good idea to attract migrant population from all over the place through exaggerated publicity, so he instructed Ansuna to do so.

At the same time, in order to achieve sufficient effect, Al also specifically instructed the mountain people to artificially create gods and create some special examples, such as:

A young farmer's son arrived in Norman City with a dream in his heart. With his savings dwindling, he decided to go all out. He spent all his savings on a "Mountain Exploration Guide" and some basic supplies, then ventured deep into the mountains. Unfortunately, he was attacked by a wild beast. Just in his hour of need, a passing hunting party rescued him and brought him back to his tribe.

The latter used the materials he purchased to trade with the mountain people. After a while, he made a fortune by trading back and forth between the mountains and Norman. Now he is a landlord with hundreds of acres of land and dozens of employees!

There was also a penniless, impoverished wandering knight who heard that Norman had a chance to become famous, so he came here in a daze, followed the exploration team deep into the mountains, and was accidentally involved in a war between two large tribes. The wandering warrior rode the mount that had been with him for many years and galloped between the mountains. For glory, he launched a charge against the enemy army. Although he was exhausted and captured in the end, he won the heart of the enemy because of his heroic performance. They respectfully called him "Black Warrior" and gave him grand treatment. The enemy's chief even spread his long-standing reputation far and wide, and countless mountain warriors married their daughters to this wandering knight. For a time, the knight had everything, including land, wealth, and slaves.

Because of this deed, the renowned "Black Warrior" was received by the Lord of Normandy, and the local ruler personally granted him the status of "Border Noble," thus completing his social advancement...

All these things have produced effects far beyond Al's expectations. There is an endless stream of people coming to explore, and most of them will first seek to gain a foothold in Norman City. Some people who are content with their small fortune will be attracted by the preferential policies of Norman for immigrants and take root there at this stage. They obtain land reclamation permission by applying for a land lease and a loan of crop seeds and tools from the territory. In the first three years of reclamation, there is a policy of only one-tenth of the tax, but they have to perform labor service and do unpaid work for the territory.

After three years, the ratio will be adjusted back to 10% and the head tax will be permanently exempted for children under the age of fourteen.

These policies are already very favorable compared to those in other regions. More importantly, the land in the Wall Plain is more fertile, and it also has a powerful legion and a "Sage" in charge.

And a small number of people want to pursue more - you certainly can't expect those adventurers who want to stand out, achieve success, win the nobles' daughters and own land and manors to happily change from warriors to farmers, even self-employed farmers, as soon as they arrive at the place.

For these people, Al also has ways to satisfy their pursuits.

Between the mountains—there is a vast world with great potential!

Chapter 60: Al's Legacy?

Although mountain people make up the majority of the people in the border areas, there are still forces that can compete with them. Tribes such as orcs and barbarians should not be underestimated.

---Yes!

Even though the mountain people are regarded as a backward and barbaric race by both the East and the West, there is still a contempt chain among the mountains because they occupy the top position.

Some "true barbarians, rebels who have forgotten the power of the gods."