Warhammer

"You are in a stalemate with the greenskins at Black Rock Castle..."

Al stroked his chin and looked at the map.

“It’s still some distance from Bafeng Mountain.”

"How many enemies are there?"

Al asked suddenly.

Norn Bronzebeard and his companions were all stunned. It was the active dwarf deputy who reacted first and answered:

"Ah, your Majesty of the South, I cannot give you an accurate answer. At the very least, it would be deceiving a friend; at the most, even we cannot estimate it."

"Our enemies are greenskins, goblins, ogres, foul beasts of Chaos; they unite in an unholy alliance, and battle us on every peak and in every tunnel of the mountains. Frankly, we need reinforcements, and that is why I am here."

Norn suddenly showed his sincere side, which made Ai'er take this somewhat "slippery" dwarf a little more seriously.

He nodded and asked, "What do you want?"

The dwarf's eyes lit up.

"Warrior!" he shouted. "We heard that you have established a guild organization, bringing all the former mercenaries under one framework. So I thought that instead of negotiating with you city by city and army by army, it would be better to directly ask you to open the door for convenience."

"We can hire as many people as are willing to take gold and go to the mountains to help the dwarves revive their great cause!" Norn Bronzebeard patted his belly and made a boast.

This time he came to the South to visit the newly formed "Southern Alliance", a strange common state, and docked in Margarita with nearly a ship full of wealth.

According to the old tradition, Norn was going to dock in Tyrell, and then split up into small teams to contact and find those war dogs who were willing to pay to go to the mountains. But on the way, after learning about the current situation in the south and the changes in recent years, he made a decision:

Don't go to Tyrell! Go directly to Margarita, under the banner of a "Dwarf Mission", to meet the Southern Lord.

The "wise king" is what the southerners (now mainly Estalia) call him.

As mentioned earlier, Aiur is not very accepting of the sometimes more martial virtues of the southerners (Tyrell), whether it is the prevailing dueling culture or family feuds.

After completing the initial integration of Tyrell, he immediately took steps to control these, at least to establish his own influence first.

Leaving aside other things, Aiur's solution to the Tyrell prevalent "private army" and "dogs of war" culture is to establish a "mercenary guild".

He stipulated that all small teams with more than five people working together, accepting missions, and being hired must register with the guild and keep a record of their members, their strengths, and even some of the commissions they had accepted in the past.

In this way, he could ensure that the rampant mercenaries and adventurers, these unstable factors who possessed force, were included in his influence. He could also exert a certain influence through the guild's War Dogs in various parts of Tyrell, and gradually bring them under his control.

The mercenary guild drew on past rules and regulations, innovated and formulated a series of mercenary codes, stipulating what to pay attention to and what key points to take into account when accepting mercenaries, at least within the southern mainland.

and most importantly:

What can and cannot be done.

On this point, Al drew a red line, such as infringing on the overall interests of the society, such as accepting employment by a factory owner or landlord to harass and disrupt the production and life of another factory or manor; such as accepting employment by a noble to suppress and resolve public protests and riots in their territory.

This is tantamount to killing the mercenaries with one blow!

Are you kidding me?

We don't accept commissions from the rich and powerful, or city-states to make swords and guns for them. What will a team of dozens or hundreds of people eat and use?!

Relying on taking orders from civilians? People are starving to death!

This is a messed up order! The mercenary world will never obey...never...

"Good! You are amazing! You are noble! I am going!"

Faced with El's aggressive attitude of "recruiting soldiers from the South", a large number of mercenaries chose to surrender. However, their surrender did not mean lowering their heads and pressing their fingerprints to register, but rather opening their mouths.

After Aiel ascended the throne of co-leader, there was no need to rely on mercenaries for daily defense and patrols in the cities of Tyrell. Under the authority of the two-headed eagle, the situation in Tyrell, which had occasionally seen conflicts and wars in the past, became extremely peaceful. The dogs of war originally had very little living space in their homeland, and now that Aiel wanted to do this, there was naturally no room for development at all.

So most of them chose to go abroad.

The mercenary guild system has also been implemented in the colonies of the Southern Alliance, but the restrictions are not that great. As long as you are registered, this situation will be found when it is checked in the future. As for the rest, you can continue to fight and attack as usual. As long as you feed back to the homeland and the function of commodity export is not affected, Al's hands are not that long, so he is too lazy to care for the time being.

Many others did not choose to go to the New World, but instead went east and south, east to the Border Territory and south to Araby.

There are only a few large and small mercenary forces active in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia now. According to statistics, the number of registered local "mercenaries" does not exceed 5,000, and many of them do not even meet the five-person standard. They are just a few friends who suddenly set up a so-called "XX mercenary group" and usually take on tasks such as hunting wild animals, collecting things, and delivering things.

It's more like running errands.

If the dwarves wanted El, who was in charge of the domestic mercenaries, to help them negotiate multiple deals at one time and send thousands or tens of thousands of elite mercenaries across the sea to reinforce the mountains, then their idea was doomed to fail.

Chapter 102: Hiring War Dogs

"I can help you issue a commission to recruit mercenaries in the south, but as for how many of them are willing to go to the Mountain Kingdom to exchange blood for money, that is not up to me."

"You can hire as many people as you want to go with you. As long as the contract is fair, I am willing to support the cause of the Mountain Kingdom in this matter."

Al did make his own promise.

He was happy to show some favor to the dwarves, his fellow men in the mountains!

But he once recognized a half-brother from afar!

Wild dwarves and tall dwarves value their promises and always keep their promises!

Moreover, this can be regarded as reinforcing the order side. Strengthening the power of the mountains will be beneficial to the mortal world when the end of the world comes.

"The last High King Thorgrim the Grudgebearer" was a rare dwarf ruler who was sensible and internationally minded. He devoted his life to the last great holy war and died for it, supporting order and fighting chaos everywhere. Although he was ultimately unable to overcome the fate that Aiur was familiar with - he was assassinated by Snikch, the Death Master of the Skaven Clan.

In remembrance of his achievements, the dwarves gave him the title of "The Last High King" in his memory.

What's more, this was just a piece of cake for Ai'er. After Ai'er ascended the throne and established the system, his prestige, diplomatic reputation and other things were basically cleared out. To put it in a smaller context, the neighboring countries, and to put it in a larger context, the attitude of the order side towards this emerging southern regime could not be said to be good or bad. Anyway, as long as they could do business and there were no tragedies such as "leading beasts to eat people", it was fine.

Except for a few specialists involved in diplomacy and intelligence, "a general defeated the greenskins and ascended the throne with the support of the people" is the vague view most people have of the United Kingdom.

This was enough for Aiur, at least there was no "Order Intervention Army". However, his later conquest of Tyrell did bring him international reputation. But the "annexation" of an Order Kingdom, no matter in what form, attracted the attention of many people, as well as the ensuing vigilance.

For example, someone in the Imperial Parliament proposed a motion aimed at strengthening control over the colonies and defense. It proposed expanding a moderately sized fleet and forming a marine corps to be deployed to the New World. The reason was that it was believed that a unified southern kingdom might seek overseas interests for itself and accelerate reconciliation by expanding outward and gaining benefits for the country.

I have to say that the empire's knowledgeable people have made very accurate predictions.

By developing infrastructure and establishing various organizations, such as the Paradise Church, El quickly gained control of all aspects of Estalia, enabling it to recover and develop rapidly after the war. However, all this was not without a price. In the previous two years, the United Kingdom's fiscal deficit had already reached the brink of being unsustainable, even though it had delayed a large part of the country's spending on precious metals and physical goods by replacing cash with goods, virtual with real, and making up for the past with the future.

Fortunately, all these efforts were not in vain. The three-year plan was achieved ahead of schedule. After Aiel captured Tyrell, the newly opened financial resources greatly eased the financial pressure of the United Kingdom. Fortunately, the old brothers of Pina (beastmen) did not need maintenance fees. As long as they had food, they would work hard for the Everchosen! Otherwise, Aiel might not be so kind in the Tyrell occupied area. If they didn't find a way to make money, the army would not be paid!

But Aiur wanted to integrate the Tyrells into his homeland, and things like squeezing the people dry and draining them of their blood were obviously not something he could do. In order to show the conqueror's kindness and eliminate the people's resistance, he even needed to reduce taxes in advance.

So he is now somewhat similar to De San in history, who is in a state where he is armed with a sharp weapon and has the desire to kill - if you don't, others will be on guard.

However, Al did not think so much about it for the time being. There were too many negative examples of civil wars in order. Moreover, there was still a lot of time before the end of the world officially arrived. Even if he wanted to expand, he had a more stable and gentle route.

Gaining the favor of the Mountain Kingdom and thereby improving relations with the Empire, recovering from a cold attitude (because the merger with Tyrell and the unification of the South may have reduced favorability) to the past or even further, is an important national policy for Aiur to lead the Southern Alliance onto the stage of order.

But the price he offered was obviously not enough to make the dwarf feel indebted to him, and he could only reluctantly increase his favorability by 10.

This result might be achieved if long-term cooperation was achieved and a steady supply of warriors were sent from the south to the mountains to support the dwarves in their efforts to regain their lost territory.

However, considering the large number of war dogs lost in the alliance under Aiel's restrictive laws, it is difficult to rely on those few thousand people who are now severely polarized - either they have certain strength and are semi-recruited by the alliance as representatives, or they are just small fry. They are okay in fighting low-intensity city-states, but it is a bit difficult to attack mountain fortresses, dig caves, and fight against monsters like green-skinned rats and ogres.

Apart from the factor of combat effectiveness, it would be efficient to create a situation where "the mountains are dead, so what harm will come from beheading them?"

But Al knew that the dwarf's purpose was obvious and not limited to this.

He looked at Norn Bronzebeard, whose golden mask concealed Aiur's handsome, godlike face. This made many members of the delegation curious about the legend of the protagonist who was so beautiful that the Tyrell envoy who came to visit her expressed his love to her at all costs, thus triggering the subsequent Southern War. How beautiful was his demeanor?

It's a pity that I can't see it because of the mask.

The dwarves present actually had a very good first impression of the straightforward King. Of course, the dwarves were unlikely to be attracted to a human cub. The main reason why they had a good impression of Al was because of Al's height.

Because people can't possibly accept this:

Their great king was not even eight years old when he was born.

It is generally believed that Al is at least over 20 years old, or even in his 30s or 40s (even some people who have seen Al's true appearance hold this idea), so Al's height is somewhat "suspicious".

Although this would not damage El's prestige among the southern people (currently mainly Estalia) who fanatically supported him, it was still a small flaw - because of his height and looks, El had a large group of mothers, aunts and sisters who were his fans among the women who had seen his true face.

Therefore, as soon as the dwarves met, they were quite fond of this "approachable", "equally treated" and "equally regarded" leader of the Alliance, including Norn Bronzebeard. He stroked his beard and carefully considered his words. "These are all good. Thank you for your help, Your Majesty, but I have another presumptuous idea. I wonder..."

Al blinked.

He knew that this dwarf delegation that came to visit him with such fanfare could not have been there simply for some mercenaries. With a little understanding, they would know that the mercenary industry in the alliance was gradually declining.

Ai'er doesn't like the country under his rule to be known as the so-called "Mercenary Country" and "War Dog". That may be an advantage for a regional power, but it is unnecessary for a worldly giant that wants to compete for global hegemony (crossed out), deploy global power, and strive to become the backbone of the end.

Small independent elite troops may only play a big role in some aspects, but in a magnificent battlefield with hundreds of millions of people fighting, it is obviously impossible for well-trained regular troops to have a big effect.

Looking back, in history, because of the rampage of the Skaven and Beastmen, the entire southern world almost instantly fell into the brink of destruction; looking back, Aiel's conquest of Tyrell one duchy after another showed that the so-called "dogs of war" could only be beaten in front of the real "iron fist of war".

At this point, he couldn't just say "If you're being rude, then forget it" and talk back to Norn Bronzebeard.

So Al spread his hands.

"I heard that once the Supreme King's Court holds a formal meeting on the glorious Eternal Peak, they will not punish someone for their speech."

"This is a model of democracy. I want to learn from my honest and trustworthy, noble dwarf friends. Please speak, I won't blame you."

I just said I don't blame you, but I didn't say I'm not angry.

But Al could probably guess what they were going to mention.

"I hope..." Norn gritted his teeth. This matter was beyond the purpose of their mission. If any situation arose from it, he would be the only one to bear the consequences.

Perhaps he would pass the High Court's review of the butcher's oath and become a butcher who shaved his beard and sought to die gloriously in battle to wash away his shame and atone for his sins.

Chapter 103: What else?

"I can make a contract with you and your kingdom."

"If we can hire your invincible legion, which is already famous in the Old World, to join this war, the Mountain Kingdom will surely be able to quickly open up the road to the Eight Peaks Mountain."

"If your majesty's army joins the battle, the greenskins and rats who have already failed in front of you once will not be worth mentioning at all. We will recapture the Eight Peaks Mountain and retake this tunnel hub that is vital to the dwarves. And your country will also reap the rich rewards given by the mountains..."

Norn Bronzebeard acted humble, but his words caused the atmosphere in the throne room to stagnate.

Hire a country to join the war?

What a fantasy this is!

Even though the dwarf envoys had traveled a lot and were well-informed, they were still shocked by their deputy's shocking words. Fortunately, their blood relationship and sense of responsibility as a member of the same group restrained them from discussing the matter on the spot, but they could not help but gossip in private after returning.

A Tyrell in the delegation had been active in the Badlands several years before the greenskins invaded the southern world. This time he returned to the south as a "guide" for the dwarves to lead the way. He felt touched by the changes in the situation in the south, but his country was his country, and life was life. Just pay him...

But the man had also heard some negative comments about the "wise king" (Beast King) Ai'er, and he felt a little uneasy because of Bronzebeard's words, fearing that Ai'er would suddenly turn hostile and punish them for disrespect.

But Al seemed to have anticipated this, and there was no sign on his face that he was moved by Norn Bronzebeard's words. Of course, this was mainly due to the mask.

However, from his calm attitude, it can be seen that at least he is not angry about it.

"How many people do you want?" He asked a question that no one expected.

The dwarves were startled.

Could it be that this newly rising southern king is actually willing to "rent out" his powerful soldiers in exchange for a reward?

If that's the case...

By bringing in the army of a whole country to help recover the lost territory, the reputation of the Bronzebeard family will continue to shine for ten consecutive years at the Mountain Conference! Their achievements are enough for the High King's Court to grant the Bronzebeards three "Iron Cities"!

For a moment, the beards of many Bronzebeard dwarves in the delegation began to tremble with excitement.

However, Norn had realized from just a few conversations that the masked king in front of him was not a simple man.

He calmed himself down and suppressed his emotions caused by Al's question "how many people do you need?" and said seriously, "Your Majesty, it's still the same as before, 'we'll hire as many as you can get.'"

"If you can send out 5,000 men, as long as their strength can meet the standards of regular troops, I am willing to hire them with the second-tier commission and the first-tier pension; if there are 10,000 soldiers who can be put into combat immediately, then I can guarantee that the royal court will pay a soldier's five-year salary in one lump sum, and at the same time pay their wartime salary; each soldier will take another three years' salary as a donation to your treasury, and the pension can be at the highest tier. In addition, there are some miscellaneous items..." Norn suppressed his emotions and talked freely in front of Al, trying his best to make his attitude appear so sincere and the conditions so generous.

The conditions he offered did seem very good. Even if some "civilian expeditionary forces" were formed under the official authorization of the empire to support the dwarves in the war, generally speaking, they would only start with a third-tier commission, unless they made significant contributions and performed particularly well.

"What else?" Al asked back. It seemed as if he didn't even listen to the conditions given by the dwarf, nor did he even consider them.

Norn froze for a moment, "Uh..." But fortunately, his mind was very active, and he quickly gave a bunch of examples such as:

"The Southern Alliance can then set up trading offices in Eternal Peak and the Dwarf Stronghold that its soldiers have recaptured to conduct trade."

"If the number of soldiers reaches more than 10,000, official transactions between the Mountain Kingdom and the Southern Alliance will be discounted by 10%, and the export restrictions on some dwarven engineering machinery will be lifted."

"The Alliance can have the right to send 20 international students to the Strom Pass Engineers Association every year. The dwarves will train them to become second-level engineers according to Nuln standards within five years."

"Considering the current lack of naval power in the Alliance, if there is a willingness, after discussion at the conference, as long as the number of troops sent by the Alliance reaches a certain level, the Mountain Kingdom can build the Silver Axe class ironclad ship for the Alliance and provide the blueprints and supporting production lines for the Moustache class warships."

......

Most dwarves who have come into contact with Norn Bronzebeard would give him this evaluation:

This guy doesn't look like a dwarf.