Chapter 131 Courtiers

"Name?"

At the headquarters of the Royal Knights, Lothar, who had completed a series of tedious rituals and officially became the Count of Transjordan, finally found time to interrogate his captives.

"Julia Eason."

Lothar asked: "I seem to have seen you before? You watched the duel between Balian and Baron Guy, right?"

Julia replied with some anxiety: "Yes, I was standing on the steps below Princess Sibylla at that time. I am the wife of Baron Henus of Hebron. After the Baron died in battle, his territory and the title will be inherited by me."

Lothar knew that Henus was a subordinate vassal in the territory of the former Earl Leonard and now Earl Lothar. He owned a castle and several villages.

Lothar asked: "Did Baron Henus really die in battle?"

An unnatural look flashed across Julia's face: "No, I killed him. If he were alive, it would be difficult for me to hide the secret that I am a vampire."

She glanced at the people watching beside her, and added: "I specially selected a baron who has no heir to hook up with me."

Lothar nodded and said: "It's quite honest. From now on, in the name of your lord, the Earl of Transjordan, I will take back the fiefdom in Henus. And your unlucky accomplice, who is she?" Pity the lord’s wife?”

Julia opened her mouth and sighed softly: "She is the widow of Baron Malfoy. In addition to a castle, she also owns several manors and shops in Hebron."

"It's really the same routine."

The word widow can explain everything.

"The instigator behind your scenes is probably Dame Stephanie, but I don't understand what price she paid to invite you two vampires to attack me?"

Julia bit her plump red lips with a sad look on her face: "She has the secret that we are vampires. If we don't do things for her, she will publicize our identities."

"Are you afraid of her threats?"

"We are reluctant to leave behind this hard-earned human aristocracy."

Lothar mocked: "It's really hard-earned."

Julia said dejectedly: "Sir, you have asked so many questions, and I also want to ask you a question. I want to know, why does a mere human get the allegiance of so many extraordinary beings?"

Lothar sneered and said: "If there was no way I could get you, I, a mere human being, would have sent you to see Heavenly Father by now."

"Be respectful, sir!"

Fringilla said proudly.

Julia suddenly seemed to have received an electric shock, her body trembled and convulsed, and she screamed: "Your Highness, Your Highness, stop quickly, I know I was wrong."

With Fringilla's blood curse in her body that specifically controls lower-level vampires, Julia's life and death now depend on her thoughts.

Although the vampires in the world of "Yesterday's Giant Ship" are not exactly the same thing as the vampires in this world, they do have something in common. With just a few modifications, they can have the same effect.

The reason why Julia was kept was because as the local lord of Hebron, she knew the situation here much better than Lothar, an outsider.

He wanted to abolish the tax farming system and take back the decentralized power from their hands, so naturally he would have some use for her.

Although the tax farming system can collect taxes and put less pressure on administrative resources, Lothar would rather take back their land and power and delegate it to system soldiers who are absolutely loyal to them.

Nor do they want them to collect fifty taxes from the people in their own name and only give ten to themselves.

Isn’t this like “the common people’s money is divided into 30 to 70 parts, and the wealthy gentry’s money is returned in full”?

"Just back off."

Lothar waved his hand. He didn't care about the beautiful appearance of the vampire in front of him, and he didn't intend to make her a confidant. After using her, he would give her a way to survive if she had merit. If not, he would simply get rid of her.

"Hans, please bring Ryan, Model, Ulm and Andreas in. I have something to explain."

These four confidants, who had been following Lothar for a long time, walked into the hall with some anxiety.

"Sir, what do you want from us?"

"You have served me for a long time and have made many meritorious deeds. With the gift of His Majesty, I was named the Count of Transjordan. The fiefdom has been expanded no less than ten times, and I still need to manage many lower-level vassals. Therefore, next I will Hebron has opened its own court, and there are many vacant court positions. I can’t trust you more than you.”

The four of them were surprised.

Although they are loyal, it does not mean that they have no emotions. In fact, the only thing they do not lack is wine, sex, and wealth. However, when these conflict with "loyalty", they will choose loyalty without hesitation.

Lothar stood up, drew his armed sword and put it on Ryan's shoulder: "Lian, in the name of the Earl of Transjordan, I appoint you as the stable master of my palace, responsible for purchasing and cultivating excellent war horses."

Ryan said in surprise: "Thank you for your gift, sir."

Lothar smiled and encouraged: "War horses are the foundation of the army. Your responsibilities are very important and you must not slack off."

He then walked towards Model who was standing aside: "Model, I appoint you as the Sheriff of Hebron, to lead the city defense army and to be responsible for maintaining the security of Hebron."

"I ask you," he stressed, "to protect not only the rights of Christians but also, to a certain extent, the rights of pagans."

We cannot treat everyone equally because if that were the case, how could anyone be willing to convert?

Model said respectfully: "Yes, sir."

"Andreas, I want you to be the palace dressmaker. In addition to being responsible for making all the clothes in the palace, you are also in charge of the purchase, storage and maintenance of weapons and armor."

Andreas gritted his teeth, resisting the dizziness caused by the surprise in his head, and said gratefully: "Thank you, sir."

From a knight's servant to a palace dressmaker with the title of knight, this is almost the limit of what a civilian can achieve with a lifetime of hard work.

Finally, there is Ulm.

The young man's face was both nervous and excited, and his freckled cheeks were flushed.

Lothar smiled and said: "Ulm, as the chief wing cavalry, your bravery and wisdom have been recognized by me. Next, I will appoint you as the Hebron patrol officer to lead the cavalry to patrol the territory. , to fight against bandits who block the road, and to supervise my subordinate lords to see if there are any transgressions or sacrilege."

The four of them suppressed the surprise in their hearts and knelt down to thank them.

In fact, there are countless positions for courtiers, such as hunting officer, heraldry officer, and engineering officer. As long as Lothar wants to, he can fabricate an official position at any time and grant it to his subordinates.

But his palace had just been established, and he didn't want to crowd it with a bunch of people now and make it full.

"Hans, during this period, you have to stay in Jerusalem and take charge of the military affairs of the Knights for me - I know you can do a good job, and you have proved it before."

Hans said helplessly: "Sir, your will is the creed I practice."

Lothar patted his shoulder: "By the way, remember to take care of Urdin. I know you two don't get along, but the Saint Lazarus Redemption Order means a lot to me."

Hans nodded hard.

Lothar looked at Jeanne again: "Ms. Jeanne D'Arc, I appoint you as the chief knight of Hebron, with Hnusburg as your fief, in charge of all cavalry."

Jeanne came to Lothar, knelt down on one knee, and said with a smile: "My lord, you have good judgment. I promise that my ability to lead the cavalry will exceed your expectations."

Julia's face showed a little resentment.

It was her territory, but it was given away after changing hands, even in front of her. This was simply too much!

Lothar made a serious face and said seriously: "Next, call all the Ax Guards and Hussars, we will set off immediately to Hebron!"

"yes."

Everyone responded in unison.

…

Before leaving, Lothar saw Urdin holding a Bible wrapped in chains at the Royal Knights' residence and preaching loudly to a crowd.

Most of the people listening to the teaching were civilian pilgrims and low-level clergy. Most of them looked confused and had no idea what Uldin was talking about.

Lothar sighed softly.

The development of the Redemption Order of Saint Lazarus, even with the support of Baldwin IV, was still not smooth sailing.

People's inherent ideas and low literacy rate are all stumbling blocks for Uldin to teach them battlefield first aid knowledge, and this knowledge must be proven useful in wartime.

"But how to solve these difficulties can only rely on Uldin himself. All I can do is to provide him with a strong backing and support."

Lothar mounted his war horse and was about to leave.

Suddenly feeling something in his heart, he subconsciously looked back at the towering castle.

I happened to see Baldwin IV standing on the balcony with a gentle smile on his face.

Lothar felt a warmth in his heart. He raised his hand, made the sign of the cross in front of him, nodded lightly, and then left with the hussars.

Jerusalem is only forty kilometers away from Hebron.

The small team marches much faster than the large army.

In the afternoon, the group drove into the city of Hebron.

Under the towering and solid city wall, Lothar raised his head and looked at the green eagle flag still hanging on the tower of the city wall. He couldn't help but smile and said: "Maybe the people who belong to Leonard haven't evacuated from this city yet."

The motorcade with the double-headed eagle flag attracted a crowd of people to watch as soon as it entered the city. Zoroastrians accounted for nearly half of the city.

Counting the Jews, the number of pagans exceeded two-thirds, and only one-third were Christians.

The group went straight to the Lord's Hall in the center of the city.

This is also a towering castle. Leonard has invested a lot of money in repairing it over the years. Although it is not as good as the frontline castle of Kaleburg, it is still a strong city.

After Lothar issued the vassal contract granted to him by Baldwin IV in Ulm, he occupied the castle without encountering any resistance.

"Ulm, ask Leonard to send the guard officers, sheriffs, etc. here. In short, people who can take charge of the matter should immediately count Leonard's private properties and vacate them as soon as possible."

Ulm immediately took the order.

Enter the Lord's Hall.

Lothar did not immediately summon his vassals and announce that he had been appointed Count of Transjordan and Lord of Hebron.

Instead, Model was ordered to lead the Varangian Guards, immediately take over Hebron's security forces, and select a hundred elites to come to see him.

Lothar plans to immediately transfer them to the "Retained Veterans Brigade". The full loyalty granted by the system will give Lothar a hundred pairs of loyal and reliable eyes to monitor the entire Hebron for him.

This is even more reliable than the Jin Yiwei that the Ming emperors painstakingly cultivated, because they themselves have various identities and constant loyalty.

The name of the Retained Veterans Brigade comes from the ancient imperial period. Those veterans who had gone through hundreds of battles and made enough meritorious service were granted land after retirement and served as urban supervisory forces in rural areas.

They are equivalent to the army of the knight class, with permanent property and their own armor, weapons, and even war horses.

The status of the urban inspection force is only a job that allows them to support themselves in their old age.

Once necessary, they will take up weapons and return to the battlefield at any time, and become the backbone of an army - if the Western Empire still retains the old military system and can recruit a group of "retained veterans", it will not perish. Under the iron heel of the barbarians and Huns.

The reason why Lothar is so anxious to form an elite standing army of his own is because of the local nobles in Hebron. Those barons and knights have been operating here for a long time and have deep-rooted influence.

If there is not enough military power, even if he has the legal right to rule, the noble earl will be ousted by his vassals.

Since Lothar does not want to continue the tax farming system that has been maintained in this land for countless years, it is foreseeable that the resistance he faces is also extremely shocking.

Therefore, he must at least be the first to do so.

One hundred elite armored infantry could not intimidate Xiao Xiao.

But if he only leads the hussars and Varangian Guards, even if he adds armored sergeants drawn from Jorgelusburg, there are only about a hundred people, he will be looked down upon even more.

After revisions over time, the equipment of the remaining veteran brigade was adjusted to a full set of chain mail shirts, as well as a short sword, a large square shield, and three heavy javelins.

When Lothar saw one of the remaining veterans who had received new equipment holding a golden eagle emblem and wearing a bearskin cloak, he felt as if the ancient empire that surrounded the Mediterranean had rebuilt from the ruins. The general illusion of standing up.

Changing jobs does not improve a soldier's physical fitness.

But compared to the new equipment received by the remaining veterans, their rich combat experience is their greatest wealth after surviving countless battles.

In the blink of an eye, he had a hundred more elite and battle-hardened heavy infantry under his command.

Moreover, they are closely involved with all the forces in this city.

No one could have imagined that the person who was supposed to be on the same side as them would suddenly become Lothar's most loyal supporter.

At this time, Lothar was free to send his servants to purchase enough ingredients and wine to hold a grand banquet.

Announce the news of his arrival to his vassals from all sides, including some local pagan powerful men.

These vassals are of course limited to knights and barons attached to Hebron, such as the dead husbands of the two vampire widows.

Nobles further away, such as Tafila, Seiler, and Baron Ma'anburg, are not included in the invitation. It will take at least three or four days before they arrive.

After a period of time, he would summon other distant vassals to come to the banquet, including Leonard. Of course, if he was unwilling to come, Lothar would have a handle on him.

As for when he wants to have an attack, it's up to him.

At least he didn't plan to attack Leonard until he took full control of Hebron.