Since that incident, the tax situation in Luoqiu Town has been completely changed and no tax resistance has occurred again.
The caravans always arrived on time. After all, no one would go against real money.
After being arrested twice in a row, those chambers of commerce completely disappeared.
After absorbing the assets of the five forces, Roland's Morning Light Chamber of Commerce has developed rapidly and has reached the point where it can produce and sell armor and daily necessities.
Earl White's meeting in the capital went extremely badly, as the marquises pressed their case relentlessly. Ultimately, while the 11th Legion was successfully established, Earl White was no longer associated with it.
Around mid-month, Earl White and Cullen returned to the Earldom. Upon hearing the news, Martin immediately led Betan and the others to the Sword of Promise City.
As soon as he entered the Earl's Castle, the butler had been waiting for a long time. He led Martin to the door of the Earl's study and then left quietly.
Martin raised his hand and knocked lightly on the door. The count's voice came from inside the room: "Come in, Martin."
Hearing the response, Martin pushed the door open and walked in.
In the study, the Earl and Karen were both there. Martin closed the door and sat down in a chair.
The Earl continued with the previous topic and said to Karen, "Increase military spending as much as possible and vigorously expand the Knights. Otherwise, when the orcs attack the city again, we will be short of manpower."
After giving the instructions, he let Karen leave.
Karen greeted Martin as she passed by him, and then closed the door gently after she left.
The Earl walked up to Martin and said with a smile, "You, boy, have quietly done something great. You have severely slapped those marquises in the face. I have finally gotten rid of my anger."
After hearing this, Martin smiled shyly and said, "It's mainly because those old guys are too bullying. I can't make the decision on my own fiefdom."
The two chatted for a while, and the atmosphere gradually became relaxed and harmonious.
After the joke, Martin asked Earl White seriously, "Is the matter of the 11th Legion really irreversible?" After hearing this, the Earl slowly shook his head.
"Don't worry, father. My knights will come to support you when the time comes. Don't worry." Martin then explained the personnel configuration of the Knights of Dawn in detail.
The Earl was surprised when he heard this. Even the Kingdom's First Royal Legion couldn't match such a luxurious configuration. However, after hearing Martin's words, he felt more at ease.
Afterwards, the Earl gave Martin a detailed introduction to the current situation in the North.
First is Frost Zero Pass, and the kingdom will still send knights to garrison there.
However, when going to the royal capital to attend the meeting this time, someone proposed that the Earldom of White be responsible for guarding Frost Zero Pass. In exchange, Frost Zero Pass would be transferred to the Earldom in principle.
The Frost Zero Plain is rich in minerals, and Frost Zero Pass was originally built to protect these mineral veins.
The Earl said helplessly, "I know my own abilities very well. I've already done my best to defend the Earldom, so how can I possibly defend Frost Zero Pass? That's why I refused."
"But after learning that you have four golden knights under your command, the king mentioned this matter again and asked me to reconsider it."
The second largest pass is Longya Pass. The forces behind several earls inside the pass intend to give up the territory outside Longya Pass and let the royal legion be stationed inside Longya Pass.
This proposal was strongly rejected on the spot by the nobles represented by Marquis Roderick, and the two sides almost came to a fight. After all, Marquis Roderick's fiefdom was just outside Dragon's Teeth Pass.
Now that everyone knows the strength of the Martin Knights, they think that they might be able to take over Frost Zero Pass, defend it together with the nobles outside the pass, and share the mining profits.
Seeing the Earl's excitement, Martin pondered for a moment and said, "There's no such thing as a free lunch. If guarding the pass is really that easy, Father, you can't compete with those nobles. Don't let us lose all our men before we even find the mine."
Martin thought that defending Frost Zero Pass was extremely unreliable. Even if all the nobles outside the pass were counted, how could it be defended if the people were not united?
The Earl did not argue with Martin about this, but went on to talk about other things: "Right now, the entire North is polarized. The nobles outside Dragon Fang Pass are eager to expand outward, while the nobles inside the pass are content with the status quo and are unwilling to attack."
"We've argued countless times about this at the Royal Capital Council, but the King has never expressed his stance. I'm guessing it will just end up in nothing."
"Martin, the land in the North is barren, the climate is harsh, and food resources are extremely scarce. Therefore, the nobles outside the border are eager to expand outward and gain more living space."
"The king didn't want to cause unnecessary disputes and kept hesitating. The same was true with this orc attack. Once the orcs retreated, he gave up his plans to attack the orc kingdom."
"However, after these years of recuperation, the kingdom has grown stronger, and the nobles have mixed opinions on this. But for the North, especially those outside the Great Wall, this could be fatal."
"Marquis Rodrick once planned to lead us nobles in attacking the neighboring Dwarven Kingdom, but was forcibly stopped by the King. Now the actions of the nobles outside the pass are strictly restricted, which is why I am determined to defend Frost Zero Pass."
"This is clearly an open conspiracy. Even though they know it's poisoned, they still can't help but want a bite. With Frost Zero Pass, they can expand outward and plunder resources. The kingdom will find it difficult to restrict the actions of the nobles outside the pass."
"As the first city within Frost Zero Pass, I prefer defending Frost Zero Pass to defending Sword Oath City. Most importantly, after understanding your strength, this desire has become even stronger."
Earl White recounted the whole story in detail, but Martin remained adamant and was unwilling to let the earl guard Frost Zero Pass.
However, many times things don't go exactly as we wish.
The Earl frowned, his eyes fixed on Martin, trying to find a sign of relaxation from his face. But Martin's expression was stern, and his eyes were filled with unquestionable determination.
The Earl sighed to himself, slowly leaned back in his chair, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrests, making a dull sound.
He knew in his heart that since Martin was exposed by several marquises at the meeting in the royal capital as possessing four golden knights, his position in the North had become extremely important.
Although he tried to smooth things over at the time, anyone with a discerning eye knew that it was just an excuse. Now everyone is well aware of the elite forces under Martin's command.
Without Martin's full support, it would be a disaster for him to forcibly take over Frost Zero Pass by himself and those nobles with their own thoughts.
Besides, Marquis Roderick would not put all his high-end combat forces into defending the pass.
Frost Zero Pass is a strategically located area, a battleground for military strategists. If the enemy sends multiple high-end combat forces to attack, and one side lacks the power to counter them,
At that time, it would only take an A-level orc to lead the extraordinary army to attack, and their own defense line would be difficult to hold for a moment, and guarding the pass would become a meaningless farce.
Thinking of this, the Earl waved his hand helplessly, with a hint of loneliness in his voice: "Forget it, since you have made up your mind, let's put this matter aside for now."
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