Chapter 387 The King's Reward! (Two in One)
Wait for the serfs to obey orders and return to the slope of the camp to continue carrying wood.
Gervis looked at the nearly 100-meter-long city wall in front of him that was covered and burned by the raging flames, and with satisfaction he gave instructions to Ike and others and prepared to return to the camp.
Although the hundred-meter-long city wall is only a small section of the three-mile-long Baiyan City, what Gervis needs to open is a gap to enter the city, not to directly destroy Baiyan City.
Moreover, he had limited manpower, and the twenty-odd muskets could only suppress this section of the city wall at most, so he didn't plan to pay attention to other places.
When Gervis returned to the camp gate with a smile on his face, the little nobles were still gathered in front of the camp gate, whispering and talking constantly.
From a distance, Gervis heard the main content of their discussion.
It was precisely about his act of burning the city walls, because these petty nobles simply did not understand what Gervis's intention was in doing so?
How could a fire burn rocks? How could that be possible? Anyone with a sound mind would know that even if a fire burned for a year, it would not cause any damage to the city wall.
But now Gervis just did it, and people couldn't help but talk about it. If it weren't for Gervis's outstanding performance in the past period of time, they would have questioned it loudly a long time ago.
"Little Gervis, why did you set fire to the city wall?"
Gandalf was also among the crowd of petty nobles at this time. Although the petty nobles did not dare to speak ill of Gervis openly, they would always make some unpleasant speculations in private.
As Gervase's father, Gandalf was very upset when he heard this. When he saw Gervase coming back, he immediately walked out of the crowd and asked his youngest son, whom he was most proud of.
"Father, I'm going to set fire to the city walls!"
Gervis looked at his cheap father with a hint of anxiety, and the other nobles also stretched their necks waiting for his answer, so he told him the truth.
Wow!
"What? Are you really burning the city walls?"
"Yes, doesn't Viscount Gervis know that the city walls are built with thousands of pounds of rocks?"
"Isn't Viscount Gervis teasing us?"
"We are going to complain to the Earl!"
The petty nobles were in an uproar. They had just thought that Gervis had some deeper meaning, so their discussion was quite obscure and no unpleasant words were said.
But now that Gervis had admitted it himself, everyone could no longer remain silent.
Most of these small nobles still care very much about the king's rewards.
Originally, they had hope in Gervis because of his little cannon, but now this hope is shattered. They suddenly feel unbalanced and feel that Gervis is making fun of their dreams.
"Little Gervis, a big fire can't burn down the city wall. It's made of thousands of pounds of rock!"
Gandalf also began to get anxious. If Gervase didn't give a good explanation, he might arouse public anger.
Although she had the identity of the Earl's husband, these petty nobles dared not speak out, but they were still able to isolate Gervis in private.
If a noble is isolated, it would be a very bad thing, as it would have a great negative impact on both himself and the development of his territory.
"I know the walls of Baiyan City are built of rocks, but I still want to burn it. Don't worry, father. I know what I'm doing!"
Gervis was not angry when he heard the discussions of these petty nobles, but now he deliberately did not want to make them angry. He planned to make them worry for a few more days as the price for their private discussions about him.
If it weren't for Alice's existence, if it weren't for the fact that the king's reward was distributed to the Earl's family, Gervis would really be too lazy to get so many people to work together. Wouldn't it be nice for him to just eat alone?
"But……"
Gandalf didn't know what Gervais was trying to do, but he still wanted to persuade Gervais to do something stupid, so that he wouldn't do anything stupid and ruin the reputation he had worked so hard to build up some time ago.
"Father, where's Alice?"
Gervase did not give Gandalf a chance to continue speaking. He did not even tell Alice the follow-up to his plan, so as to avoid having to explain the principles behind it, and so he changed the subject directly.
"Little Gervis, the king just sent a herald to summon the Earl, and now the Earl has gone to the camp in the north!"
Seeing that Gervais was unmoved, Gandalf knew that Gervais had his own ideas, so he stopped trying to persuade him and answered Gervais' questions.
"The King summoned Alice?"
Gervis couldn't help but look at the small steel cannon that had been covered with cowhide cloth again. Gervis guessed that the king's summoning of Alice might be related to this small steel cannon.
But Gervis was not in a hurry. At this critical juncture of the southern expedition, the king was the last person who wanted anything big to happen.
"Ike, Laurie, you stay here to supervise the serfs moving the wood, and continue to provide cover when the time comes. Make sure the fire stays burning and doesn't go out!"
The plan had been arranged, and Gervis was about to go back to the camp to catch up on some sleep, so he gave an order to Ike.
Now, the thousands of serfs are either loading wood or cutting down trees in distant woods, so there is no need to worry about a shortage of wood.
Moreover, there were no defenders on the hundred-meter-long section of the city wall that was engulfed in flames. After all, if they stayed there any longer they would be burned to a crisp, so it was still safe for these serfs to add firewood.
There is no need for Gervis to worry about anything anymore.
"Yes, sir!"
Ike and Laurie obeyed the order respectfully.
"Father, I'm a little tired. I'm going back to the camp to rest first! You don't have to worry. I have my own way!"
After explaining everything to Ik, Gervis came to his cheap father and whispered a few words in his ear.
After saying this, without waiting for Gandalf to reply, Gervis yawned and led the unicorn back to the camp.
…
In the king's camp in the north, the eight earls were gathered together by the king again.
"From yesterday afternoon until now, we have suffered a total of 1,500 casualties, including two noble lords."
"The main reason for such heavy casualties is because of the catapults on the city wall!"
The king sat on the throne and spoke to the earls.
The count below did not respond and remained silent.
Although there were 1,500 casualties, most of them were from Charles' family.
The other several earl families only have about 100 to 200 people on average. For an attack on a defensive fortress like Baiyan City, 100 to 200 people is not a big loss.
They already had this psychological expectation the moment they prepared to attack the city.
King Lawrence saw that the earl below did not speak, and did not care, but looked at Alice.
"Alice, I heard that your husband, Viscount Gervis, is very talented. He has formed a medical team to rescue the wounded on the battlefield!"
"Your Majesty, it seems to be true, but that was all done privately by Gervis. I don't know the details!"
Of course Alice knew about Gervis' medical team. In order to avoid rumors, she had asked Gervis to keep the girls with her.
But he didn't expect to learn from his grandfather yesterday that Gervis' medical team was really treating the wounded on the battlefield, and that although those girls looked thin, their medical skills were very superb. They treated several small nobles and dozens or even hundreds of ordinary soldiers in succession.
But now that the king asked about it at this meeting, he must have some plans, so Alice just gave a simple answer.
"Alice, don't be so modest. You have a very good eye for finding a husband like Gervis."
"I heard that the golden wine was also invented by him. He is truly an outstanding young man!"
The king now had a faint smile on his face and his tone was very kind.
"I heard that Viscount Gervis's medical team had excellent medical skills and saved the lives of three nobles! Alice, yesterday the Charles family and the Larkin family each lost a noble vassal. They both died because they could not stop the bleeding! This makes me very sad!"
"As the largest families in the Principality of Jean, you eight earls should unite in this southern expedition and help me take over the Principality of Alban!"
"So I have a request now. Can you send some people from the medical team to the camp in the north?"
The fact that the king could utter the word "request" showed that he had truly lowered his stance and demonstrated his sincerity.
"Your Majesty, I object! The medical team only has more than a hundred people, and it is not enough to treat our east side alone. If we send people to the north, then there will be no one to treat our subordinates!"
The Lords of the North were very experienced and would not buy into the King's behavior, so they spoke first, lest Alice, who had never been to such meetings before, would be embarrassed about how to make a decision.
"Yes! Count Gust is right!"
"Indeed, we don't have enough in the east!"
"Gust, there are hundreds of doctors, how could you not have enough!"
Nemio and the others immediately refuted.
"Haha, there are tens of thousands of people in our camp, so just over a hundred people are definitely not enough!"
The Lord of the North looked at Nemio and sneered in his heart. How could you let the medical team treat your subordinates? You must have drunk too much and haven't woken up yet.
"Okay, you don't have to argue. The medical team belongs to Viscount Gervis. As Viscount Gervis's wife, Alice should be able to make the decision. Let's hear what Alice has to say!"
The king was not angry about the opposition of the Lord of the North. Seeing that several earl families below were arguing again, he patted the armrest of the throne to stop the quarrel.
After hearing the king's words, the earls who were arguing with each other stopped quarreling and turned their eyes to Alice.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid this medical team can't spare any manpower to come to the north, because in the next few days, I will also prepare to start attacking the city in the west, so I will transfer many doctors back!"
"If there are really injured nobles here, Your Majesty, they can be sent to the north for treatment in time."
Faced with everyone's comments, Alice was not afraid at all, nor did she have any difficulty in making a decision. She gave a direct answer.
Not to mention that she couldn't make the decision about Gervis' medical team, even if she really could, she wouldn't be willing to let the medical team treat the Charles and Larkin family members.
"Since Count Alice has said so! Then I can't force her to do anything!"
King Lawrence nodded without a trace of blame, as if he really agreed with Alice's excuse.
"Alice, let's forget about the medical team, but I heard that Viscount Gervis took out a weapon called a small steel cannon this morning. It's very powerful and can directly and accurately destroy the catapults on the city wall! Is it true?"
King Lawrence changed the subject and began talking about the little cannon.
"It is true, Your Majesty!"
Alice was not at all surprised that the king knew what had happened in the morning. Not to mention that there were officials sent by the king to count military achievements and register spoils in her own camp, but even several groups of rangers near the camp witnessed the bombardment of the city wall.
At this time, Alice finally understood the real purpose of King Lawrence convening this meeting.
The king's intention to borrow the medical team just now was fake. His real purpose was to use the cannon to destroy the catapults on the city wall.
But at the moment Alice is not sure whether the king is going to take the little cannon directly or has other plans.
"Very good! Viscount Gervis has really made a great contribution!"
"Alice, the catapults on the east and north walls are a great obstacle to our attack on Baiyan City, so I hope you can ask Viscount Gervis to use his small steel cannon to destroy the catapults on the east and north walls as well!"
The king no longer beat around the bush and spoke directly about his thoughts.
He just mentioned the medical team to pave the way for this little cannon.
Alice refused the medical team's idea, and then brought up the matter of the small cannon. It was impossible for Alice to offend the king again and again.
"Your Majesty, according to what Gervis said, the use of the small steel cannon seems to consume a very precious and rare thing. A lot of this thing has been used up this morning, and there may not be much left!"
Alice was slightly relieved to hear that the king had no intention of asking for the cannon directly.
The king is still his lord after all, and if he repeatedly rejects the king's requests, it would make the Jones family appear unruly.
"Alice, this White Rock City is the biggest obstacle for us to recover the Principality of Alban, and the catapults on the city wall are the biggest threat to our attack on White Rock City!"
"So I decided that as long as Viscount Gervis can solve the problem of the catapults on the city wall and make the attack on Baiyan City smoother, I can make the decision now. After the southern expedition is over this year, I can let Viscount Gervis or your Jones family choose a baronial-sized territory near Jones Territory!"
After the king finished speaking, the earls looked at Alice with envy or jealousy.
The reason they cooperated so readily with the king to attack Baiyan City this time was because of the territory reward promised by the king!
Unexpectedly, the Jones family can now get a piece directly. Although it is only a barony, there is a big difference between a rich barony and a poor barony.
"Since Your Majesty has said so, I will go back and discuss it with Gervis. However, Your Majesty, what I just said is indeed the truth. The precious materials that the small steel cannon needs to consume are indeed running low!"
"Well, Alice, you can go back and discuss with Viscount Gervis first. If possible, you'd better bring the small steel cannons here immediately to destroy those catapults. After all, every extra minute of delay will cost the lives of many more soldiers in the Principality of Zeon!"
The king nodded, not knowing whether he believed Alice's next words or not. Anyway, he continued to explain to Alice in a gentle tone.
"Yes, Your Majesty! Then I will go back and discuss it with Gervis now."
The territory near Jones's territory, which belongs to the king, has a lot of fertile land.
This richness does not refer to arable land, but to some minerals or other valuable industries.
For example, there are two famous copper mines and one iron mine. These mines are very valuable mines and are indispensable strategic minerals for a family.
That's why Alice agreed so readily. No one could resist such a temptation, not even the Count.
"Okay, Alice! I'm waiting for your good news!"
This chapter is two-in-one, which can be considered as paying back one chapter for the monthly votes, but I still owe 8 chapters... I feel a little cold!
(End of this chapter)
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