Chapter 278 William Is Transferred
In March, the Harland family received good news again. William's strength has been further improved and he has been promoted to the ninth level. Although the strength of a warrior is much worse than that of a knight, a ninth-level warrior can already be on par with an eighth-level golden knight.
A deputy legion has been promoted to the ninth level, and he has made many military achievements. He is qualified to go further and serve as the commander of the main legion. For ordinary second-line legions, a seventh-level warrior can be competent as a legion commander, and even fourth- and fifth-level noble knights have served as second-line legion commanders. However,
The eight main legions directly under the central government have very high requirements for being a legion commander. They must be eighth-level golden knights and ninth-level warriors are qualified to serve. If the strength is insufficient, it is impossible to suppress the arrogant soldiers and generals below, and it is impossible to convince the public.
Three of the eight main legion commanders of the Grant Kingdom are ninth-level epic knights, three are eighth-level golden knights, and the commander of the Grizzly Legion is temporarily vacant, with only one being a ninth-level warrior. Such important positions are basically held by powerful noble knights.
Of course, although the warriors are a little weaker, as long as they have strong command ability and are valued by the upper echelons of Nolan, they still have the opportunity to serve as the commander of the main legion.
Donnie Martins, the meritorious commander of the Northern Army, is a ninth-rank warrior. He once severely damaged the orcs and led the team to kill the legendary wild boar, earning the reputation of a boar hunter.
Although Count Martins died in battle, he was the founder of an earl family. His reputation in the Kingdom of Grant was no less than that of Richard, and he had a very high reputation.
More than a decade ago, Count Martins was planning to let his granddaughter marry Richard.
Although William was promoted to a ninth-rank warrior, it was impossible for him to squeeze out the commander of the army, Rab, and take over as the commander of the Northern Army. Rab, like William, is an old man in the Northern Army. They used to be the captain of the sixth battalion and the captain of the cavalry battalion. In terms of prestige in the Northern Army, Rab is a little stronger than William.
In the past ten years, the Northern Army has had four commanders. Martins and Zachli have made great military achievements. Stein is unable to take on the heavy responsibility because of his lack of ability. Although Rab's command ability is not as good as Martins and Zachli, he is also a qualified commander of the main legion and is valued by King Roger.
In addition, Rab has been promoted to the ninth-level epic knight. He is very good at charging and is an excellent offensive general.
Rab is three years younger than William, and his strength and prestige are several points higher than his. With him in front, William has no chance of development in the Northern Legion.
After advancing to the ninth-level warrior, William wrote a letter to Marquis Allen, hoping that the Marquis would recommend William to the king and find an opportunity to transfer him.
Four of the eight main legions of the Grant Kingdom are the Royal Guards. ɱ
Although the Royal Guards are better equipped, their actual combat effectiveness is a few points weaker than the border legions that have been facing orc invasions for many years. There is a set of unspoken rules in the Guards. People with Grant family blood are more likely to climb to the top.
The legion commanders of the Royal Guards are basically selected from within the system, and they will not be transferred from outside.
Besides, William, who is so arrogant, wants to continue to accumulate merits and does not want to join the Royal Guards.
Each of the four central provinces in the North has a main legion. The Iron Lion Legion of Grotta Province was expanded from the noble coalition under Zakli. This legion has been in the flames of war for many years, and its combat effectiveness has been steadily improving over the years. Since the Redeemer Legion, it has been under the command of Zakli. Zakli has a very high prestige in this legion. William is simply impossible to squeeze out the old commander and take over the Iron Lion Legion.
Even if King Roger does not like Zakli, he dare not take the risk of changing people.
The Iron Lion Legion, a legion that rolled over in the flames of war, may not be able to command if a stranger takes over the command.
King Roger has served as a front-line commander for many years and understands the military spirit very well. Compared with King Charles, Roger is also a person who takes the overall situation into consideration and knows how to compromise.
The Mad Lion Legion participated in the rebellion that year, and the command system has undergone a major change. The legion commander has gained the trust of King Roger, so it is naturally impossible to change people.
Only the Grizzlies were severely damaged by the orcs two years ago, and the legion commander was seriously injured. After recuperating for a period of time, he could no longer take responsibility. He resigned two months ago, and the position of legion commander is temporarily vacant.
The political status of the legion commander of the main legion is very high, and it is also a big fat job. Several noble officers who meet the requirements and the two deputy legion commanders of the Royal Guards all want to transfer people, and they all ask people to move in Nolan.
The Grizzlies are located on the front line, and the pressure of defense is very heavy.
Because Duke Jonathan transferred two legions to the Grand Duchy of Stannic, although the Iron Lion Legion was expanded, the Harland Territory Legion was expanded, and the number of garrisons on the northern front of the Grant Kingdom was reduced by 20,000.
If the war experience is insufficient and the command art is not good, even if the strength is very strong, it is impossible to assume the responsibility of the legion commander of the main legion.
Nolan's several candidates do not have much war experience. King Roger's opinion is to transfer people from experienced officers in the northern border.
William has come to this step, of course he does not want to command the second-line legion. After receiving the recommendation of Marquis Allen, he was recognized by King Roger.
In late March, William was invited by King Roger to report to Nolan. After a long talk with William, King Roger finally made up his mind to promote William's military rank and appointed him as the commander of the Grizzlies.
William was transferred to the Grizzlies, and the influence of the Harland family was further enhanced.
Although the Harland family has developed rapidly, it does not have much foundation. It is not as strong as several duke families and will not be feared by the Grant royal family.
With the duke families of Jonathan, York, Edward and others in the front, the external environment of the Harland family is very stable.
Because the war in the northern border is tight, King Roger even wants to continue to support the Harland family to share the pressure for the northern region.
After expanding a central legion, the military expenditure increased by about 400,000 gold coins, and the financial pressure caused a headache for the Grant royal family.
If the Harland family can play a greater role, the Grant royal family can reduce the military expenditure in the northern border and relax.
After William was transferred to the Grizzly Legion as the legion commander, the influence of the Harland family in the Rah Province has greatly increased. The legion commander of the main legion is the number one figure in the province. In the state of war, the provincial governors must listen to William's military orders.
March is the season for spring plowing. After entering the 3266th year of the Dawn Calendar, the Harland territory has been busy with two major events, military expansion and spring plowing.
By the end of March, the conscription mission had been completed and the recruits were busy training. The fourth Warcraft Cavalry Squadron was also trained, and the second Magic Hot Air Balloon Squadron was still being formed.
The territory added about 250,000 people last year, and with 250,000 more mouths, the food in Harland Territory was no longer enough.
The grain output must be increased this year. The best way to increase grain output is to expand the cultivated area, and the task of land reclamation is imperative.
Compared with other areas of the Grant Kingdom, the agricultural development in Harland Territory is relatively advanced. Richard invented the curved plow, which improved the efficiency of the plow. The use of composting has also increased grain production. In addition, several reservoirs have been built in the territory to ensure the stability of the irrigation system, which greatly increases the ability of Harland Territory to resist floods and drought risks.
In addition to developing Graveson and the swamp basin, this year's spring plowing and land reclamation focuses on the areas near Salt Lake Fort and Norman Castle. After the land reclamation is completed, Richard will also migrate to Salt Lake County and Norman County on a large scale.
For immigration work, the construction of infrastructure is the top priority. There is enough labor in the Harland Territory, and spring ploughing and house and road construction can be carried out in parallel.
After entering March, a large amount of building materials such as bricks, cement, glass, and steel bars were transported to the vicinity of Salt Lake Fort and Norman Fort. Richard not only had to build barracks and dormitories for the contracted slaves, but also had to renovate and expand the two castles.
In order to support the construction of the two counties, Richard transferred a lot of people from the original old factories and mines, and built brick kilns, lime kilns, glass kilns, etc. in Norman County.
The Salt Lake Fort area has been developed for three years, and now the road from the Flower Castle to the Salt Lake Fort has been built. With the road built, Richard has brought enough labor, and the development speed of the salt lake minerals has advanced by leaps and bounds.
Now the Harland Territory can not only produce a large amount of salt, but also produce natural potash fertilizer every year. Without increasing manpower, the potash fertilizer produced this year exceeds 5,000 tons.
Five thousand tons of potash fertilizer will benefit hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland. With a large amount of natural fertilizers, if the weather is good this year, the grain output will be greatly improved.
Now there is sufficient labor, and the army is not needed to participate in the spring ploughing.
From early March to early April, Harland territory reclaimed about 400,000 acres of land in one month. Now the farmland in Harland territory exceeds 2 million acres, and the grain output this year will be greatly improved.
Just after the spring ploughing, a strange epidemic suddenly appeared in the northern border area.
The first dead body was found in Vera Castle. Black spots appeared on the dead body, teeth fell off, and a large amount of black internal organs were coughed out from the corners of the mouth. In just a few days, more than 100 people died in Vera Castle.
Panic spread instantly, and the residents of the castle fled in all directions.
Vera Castle is the second largest castle in the Duke of Edward's territory, with more than 80,000 residents in the castle. These 80,000 people moved around, causing the epidemic to expand throughout the northern border in an instant.
In order to avoid the plague, countless contracted slaves fled their hometowns and entered the Eagle Mountains to become refugees.
Although there are some priests in major cities who can treat the plague, compared with the huge number of sick people, a small number of priests is a drop in the bucket.
In mid-April, the first case appeared in Harland Territory.
After receiving the intelligence, Richard immediately issued a strict blockade order.
The doctors in Harland Territory drew out their backbone forces and stationed in the epidemic area. The territory magic tower also drew out forces to organize magic treatment teams and be on standby at any time.
After the first case appeared, the epidemic spread very quickly. In just a few days, more than a few hundred patients were infected with the plague, some of whom were even doctors who were exposed to the plague and soldiers who established the blockade line.
Nine days after the first case appeared, the first patient died in Harland Territory.
Faced with the sudden crisis, Adrian, the top leader of Harland Medical System, withstood the test. He personally performed an autopsy on the dead and used a microscope to find bacterial samples in the dead person's lung fluid.
Through microscopic observation, Adrian found that several strange bacterial organisms were swimming in the liquid. After further research, doctors in Harland Territory found that this kind of bacteria actually had strong magic resistance.
This discovery almost proved that the plague was created by the necromancer.
After discovering the problem, Richard immediately arranged for Audrey to ride the Lion Duck to pass the message to Nolan, and notified the pastor of the Dawn Church to ask everyone to be careful.
After receiving the news, Archbishop Senna Walton personally arranged two high-level priests to enter the Duke of Edward to investigate the cause of the plague.
Just as the top leaders of the Dawn Church were tracking down clues, the first wave of the epidemic hit Harland.
Because the Harland territory was well controlled, although the first wave of the epidemic was fierce and infected more than 1,200 people in just seven or eight days, the medical treatment capacity of Harland was very strong, and many mages learned the plague treatment technique and had very strong magic treatment ability. In the first round of the epidemic, only nine people died in Harland.
Although the first wave of the epidemic was blocked, Richard still did not dare to relax the blockade.
The epidemic is now very serious, and the gathering places everywhere hate outsiders very much. As the noble lords and local bureaucrats are getting more and more severe with foreign refugees, the population gradually dares not to move.
After the population stopped moving, the ability to spread the epidemic gradually weakened. After several generations of magic bacteria, the ability to cause disease became weaker and weaker. After June, this wave of plague has come to an end.
After the first wave of the epidemic, the Haland Territory relaxed its restrictions, and Richard sent the Demon Hunting Team into the Eagle Mountains to recruit refugees who had fled into the mountains.
In just one month, the Haland Territory recruited 43,000 people.
Although Richard formulated a strict isolation system, a large number of people poured into the Haland Territory, which brought a second wave of the epidemic.
This time, more than 3,000 patients were infected with the plague.
Fortunately, the lethality of the bacteria was weakened a lot, and the Haland Territory treated effectively, so the number of deaths in the second wave of the epidemic was even smaller, only three people.
After the fall, the Haland Territory ushered in the third wave of the epidemic. This time the plague came fiercely, and more than 20,000 people were infected, and even appeared in the territory in a multi-point spread posture, which almost overwhelmed the isolation policy of the Haland Territory and broke through the medical system.
During the worst days, Richard, Sophia, Wendy and other intermediate magicians took action personally, consuming a lot of magic power every day to cast spells and treat patients. They were busy for more than 20 days before the peak of the epidemic was over.
This year's plague killed more than 60,000 people and caused hundreds of thousands of refugees in the northern border area.
The damage caused by the plague to the northern border area was even more serious than the invasion of orcs. It is precisely because of the continuous plague and war that the population of the northern border has not increased for so many years despite the high fertility rate.