After receiving the news, they learned that the Empire was defeated again. They launched a surprise attack on the Imperial Expeditionary Force on the route they had to take. As the commander, Bartlet had some common sense and had prepared to deal with the grassland attack early on. Although his subordinates told him that they didn't dare to take action last time and they should be able to take action this time, he still insisted.
As expected, this time the grassland tribes unexpectedly launched a sneak attack on the empire, but they set a trap when they attacked the empire.
The two sides fought a field battle in the wilderness. The empire had been well prepared and the grassland tribes suffered heavy casualties in the magic trap. The most important thing was that they were caught by the empire and could not get rid of it.
The soldiers of the entire expeditionary force took out all the humiliation they had suffered in Maple Leaf Territory on the grassland tribes. They fought fiercely and ruthlessly, and there was basically no problem with taking prisoners.
Now that he had caught the people of the grasslands by their tails, he naturally could not let them go. Barrett's talent finally came in handy. Under his command, the Imperial Knights continued to divide and erode the grasslands' vitality.
The grassland riders grew up on horseback, which is their advantage. The cavalry can come and go like the wind, but once they lose their supplies, the grassland knights will be in trouble. Lin Xingchen's use of the magic legion provides Bartlet with a learning goal.
The magicians kept searching for the herdsmen's cattle and sheep, and their job was no longer mainly defense but offense.
The speed of using magic to attack the sheep was despairing. Looking at the corpses of cattle and sheep covering the grassland, the men on the grassland retreated to the rear with tears in their eyes.
These meats became Bartley's military rations. Although the food shortage problem was temporarily under control, Bartley was very determined. He once again wrote to the empire hoping that the emperor would not dismiss him from his position before he eliminated the grassland tribes.
Gustav naturally agreed to such a request. He still valued Bartlet very much. Although he returned empty-handed in Maple Leaf Territory this time, the biggest problem lay with himself, the person who gave the order. The military supervisor transmitted back all his responses and handling methods.
The comments he gave were very fair. The reason for his failure was not Bartlet's fault but the wrong timing. The reason he could become the military supervisor was that he was a confidant trusted by Gustav. His comments made Gustav write back to give Bartlet his trust and advise him not to think too much that he still trusted him. He was also willing to support his approach on the grassland and mentioned in the letter that if necessary, it would be best to defeat the grassland in one battle.
Gustav, who usually appears to be calm, turned out to be quite irritable in the letter. He had become very tired of these grassland tribes. If he could fight a war that would make the grassland unable to do anything for ten or even twenty years, then he was willing to pay this price.
In the letter, he mentioned more than once that he was worried about Kurma's growth rate. He believed that in twenty years at most Kurma would have the strength to challenge the authority of the empire, and all of this was due to the threat posed by Maple Leaf Territory, the heart of Kurma.
Although he will not blindly go to war with Kurma again, the next time he goes to war, it will definitely not be a single army advancing deep into the enemy's territory, but an all-out war. Therefore, the existence of the grassland tribes will become the existence of the disgusting empire.
He wanted to make the grassland people withdraw at all costs, and then stabilize the country and wait for the opportunity to take down Kurma in one fell swoop and give back to the empire.
Looking at the handwritten content of Gustav on the letter, Bartlett once again confirmed that his Majesty was not a person who longed for peace on the outside, but a person who truly had lofty goals.
His Majesty the Emperor has said to do it at all costs, so Bartley would naturally not disobey. Many subsequent operations have caused great damage to the grassland people.
Spring is originally the grazing season. The empire sent troops at this time to delay the grain planting in Kurma. Anyway, it would never be wrong to disgust the opponent.
But the people of the grassland are different. They don't have the technology to store grass, and nomadism is their way of life. Now wherever the empire goes, they set fire to the grassland, or use magic to flatten all the grass on the grassland. They will not let go of anything that is destructive to the grassland.
All wolves encountered will be killed. Wolves are a very important link in grassland ecology. They are the regulators that control grassland ecology. Wolves will kill a large number of hares and prairie mice. Other creatures that are destructive to the grassland are also in the food chain of prairie wolves.
Killing a large number of prairie wolves might seem to have a good effect at the time, but if the number of prairie mice increases after one or two years, it would be a despairing situation. Naturally, some people in the empire, who have been studying this for many years, have proposed targeted methods.
Bartley accepted all the opportunities and used all the means available. If salt had not been a precious commodity in the empire, he would have almost listened to the suggestion of one of his subordinates and spread salt on the grassland to make it barren from then on.
Although this proposal was rejected by the magician advisor as ridiculous, Bartlett's actions made everyone understand that the commander really intended to wipe out the grassland people.
Neither Kurma nor the Empire have any intention of stopping this time. Both sides realize that they will eventually have a life-and-death battle with each other, so it is very necessary to clean up the surrounding spectators before the battle.
The Empire thought that this person was an eyesore and needed to be intimidated, while Kurma desperately needed these people to nourish itself. Once the butcher knives of both sides were raised, it would not be so easy to retract them.
Lin Xingchen led his 50,000 troops to the coastal area. There were no big forces here. The only good force was the Principality of Criqui.
This principality has a population of about 200,000 and is located in the coastal area, so it is not that eye-catching. The Principality of Cricket is also the hometown of Charles, the fat guy and an important assistant of Lin Xingchen, so he was also brought along on this expedition.
"Master, why did you bring me here? Look at my body, it's of no use except to block arrows for you." Charles' quality of life has improved in recent years, and his improvement has also recovered and is likely to surpass before.
"I called you here because I have something to tell you. If you don't move, I'm afraid you'll die of obesity one day."
"Thank you for your concern, young master. Is there anything I can help you with?" Charles smiled happily when he heard that there was good news.
"I remember that the Principality of Cricket is your native country, right? We are going to give you a chance this time. If you can persuade them to surrender, you will definitely be awarded the title of third-class earl. I just don't know if you dare." Lin Xingchen also takes good care of his old subordinates and never forgets them when there is good news.
When Charles Teng heard the title of Earl, he stood up and said, "He said he was willing to try it."
"Although you are a third-class earl, you also know that this is a period of great development for the kingdom. As long as you do well, I guarantee that you can become a first-class earl. At that time, you will have a new identity and your own territory." It is not a problem to reveal some private matters to subordinates. Charles is a person who is very good at keeping secrets.
"I'll give you ten guards and a magic butterfly. If you really encounter danger, run! Save your life before I arrive." He asked someone to escort Charles and carry the flag to the Principality of Cricket to persuade them to surrender.
The conditions for surrender offered by Lin Xingchen were relatively generous. Although he no longer had the title of king, he at least gave him the title of first-class earl in the kingdom. Since Kurma implemented the title reform, the original five ranks of duke, marquis, earl, viscount and baron were suddenly divided into fifteen ranks.
The previously harsh method of granting titles has now become much simpler. As obtaining titles has become simpler, naturally the privileges that come with them also need to be reduced.
A baron could own a small piece of territory of his own, but this is no longer possible now. Only first-class earls and above can own territory, and the lower titles are now more like a kind of honor. If there are talented people in the family, one can also obtain territory by accumulating such titles.
In the past, the viscount’s territory was only about a hundred square meters in area, and after the reform, he no longer had a house. Now, although he has no territory, he can get tax cuts.
Many people carefully calculated and found that a baron could reduce a huge amount of taxes a year, which is one of the reasons why merchants no longer flee.
Queen Lydia also agreed with Lin Xingchen's approach. The territory was no longer awarded but only taxes were reduced. Although it seemed that the kingdom was at a disadvantage, in the long run it was still a profit for the kingdom.
The territory of a first-class earl is very large, with an area of ten kilometers in radius. The first-class earl has also become a watershed that distinguishes true nobles.
Mixing the potion in his own tent, he believed that if Charles failed, at least he could save his own life, so he was not worried at all.
About three hours! The messenger told him that Charles had come out with the kingdom of Cricket.
After tidying up his clothes, Lin Xingchen met the king of the principality in the tent. He looked to be in his fifties but looked a little listless.
"Meet the Duke of Stars!"
"Don't be so polite, Duke Cricket. I don't know if Charles has explained it clearly to you. If there is anything you don't understand, you can ask me in person." After all, an elderly person should still have the courtesy that he should have.
"No, Charles has made it very clear. Thank you for giving me a chance to choose. I hope you will not harm innocent civilians in the Principality."
“Please rest assured, Earl Cricket, I want a peaceful takeover rather than a cruel rule. I hope you can provide me with some help in the days to come.
I think you are tired, please go and have a rest and we will take over the defense later."
After sending Cricki away, he looked at the fat guy Lin Xingchen with a red face and smiled: "How did you do it? Did you cheat anyone?"
"Master, how could I dare to lie to you about this? I just told you the truth. Of course, I said some scary words, but I didn't give him any discount in the treatment you gave him."
"That's good. You may have to deal with him for a long time in the future."