Chapter 287: Lulansi

In this battle, Luoning's military merits were indeed significant.

But the fruits of victory could not possibly be monopolized by him alone; after all, other nobles had also contributed their own strength.

For instance, Viscount Mawen and Baron German had dispatched enough men and suffered no small losses in the bloody battle at Jushi City; Lulansi could not give them nothing.

Therefore, when Luoning made his requests, he was sensible enough not to ask for too much, only striving for the two most crucial things.

Yet, listening to Lulansi's tone, it seemed as if he had asked for too little.

"Wushan Territory can have three Counts; I grant you this ennoblement."

Currently, Wushan Territory had two Counts: the first was Aosen Haide, and the second was Luoning's father, Weijinsi.

Come to think of it, as the heir to the Marquis Territory, Weijinsi's position as Count was only temporary, and his fief was merely Wushan City; it was purely transitional in nature.

In reality, the only true fief-holding Count in Wushan Territory was Aosen.

"As for the fief, aside from Chishan Town, because you exposed Baron Keruien of Jushi City, the nobles in various regions were spared this disaster, so I intend to assign this city to you."

Luoning felt a surge of joy in his heart.

Aside from having many stones, Jushi City had no other special resources.

However, Keruien had managed it quite well over these years, and the population living in Jushi Territory started at thirty to forty thousand.

If he could obtain this labor force, the problem of insufficient population in Luoning's own territory would be further improved.

"If you bestow rewards like this, will the other nobles have any objections?"

If Lulansi divided things this way, the two best fiefs, Chishan Town and Jushi City, would both belong to Luoning, leaving less for the other nobles to be rewarded with.

"You don't need to worry about that; even if we are to grant fiefs, there are still Sali Town, Liusha Town, and Kaxier Town available for bestowal."

Lulansi's tone was very relaxed.

Not every victory in war would result in the granting of fiefs, and furthermore, the contributions of the other nobles in this battle were much smaller than Luoning's; if one were to really grant fiefs, not many people would have such qualifications.

Moreover, it was precisely because Luoning had exposed the schemes of the Bolante Bandit Group and Keruien that these participating nobles avoided huge losses, so this group would not say much about granting Luoning two fiefs.

"The Fifth Knight Order of Wushan Castle now has only half its strength left; this Knight Order must be reorganized."

The financial resources consumed by a Knight Order were enormous, but for the safety of the territory, the number of standing Knight Orders in Wushan Territory still had to be maintained at five as much as possible.

"Knights and soldiers are easy to find, but the Regiment Commander of a Knight Order is not."

Lulansi looked at Luoning, his gaze full of trust: "So I have decided to let you serve as the Regiment Commander of the Wushan Castle Fifth Knight Order, and I intend to station this Knight Order at Anbian City on the southwest border of Wushan Territory."

One who could become a Regiment Commander of the Wushan Castle Knights was not necessarily a fief-holding noble, but they were equally valued and certainly deeply trusted by the Marquis.

Even for Keruien, his betrayal only began at the start of this year.

In his early days, relying on the foundation of the Hesen Family as well as his own excellent performance and loyalty, he was still able to be trusted by Lulansi.

Now that Lulansi was handing the position of Regiment Commander of the Fifth Knight Order to Luoning, it signified his recognition of Luoning's strength and also conveyed to the outside world his sufficient trust and regard for Luoning.

Luoning was happy at first; this was equivalent to having forces under his command that he could mobilize.

Although this force could not be brought to Wubei Territory, it could at least guarantee the safety of the exclave on the southwest border.

But he was also somewhat worried.

"Grandfather, Anbian City is relatively close to Yueguan Valley. By wiping out the Bolante Bandit Group in one fell swoop this time, I fear I have offended Hesusu. Now, if I go to Anbian City, will his son-in-law Ramsey commit a sneak attack?"

He had already experienced the formidable power of a Meteor-level expert.

The reason he left Anbian City immediately after obtaining Amikusi's savings that day was precisely because he was worried about being sneak-attacked by a Meteor-level expert.

"Your worry is not without reason."

Lulansi expressed his approval of Luoning's concern.

"Hesusu is a person with a very arrogant and haughty personality; sometimes he is prone to being extreme or even reckless in his actions."

His tone shifted: "However, although you hold the position of Regiment Commander, you do not need to personally sit in Anbian City."

"You can choose trusted subordinates to serve as Deputy Commander, such as your commander from Wubei Territory, Ruidar. If you trust him enough, just let him lead the team to stay behind."

"Ramsey is a Meteor-level powerhouse after all; he won't go to assassinate a Silver Knight, especially since killing Ruidar wouldn't achieve any purpose."

Luoning weighed this for a moment in his heart.

Ruidar was not an ordinary knight, and Luoning did not want to let him take risks.

However, what Lulansi said did indeed make sense; in the eyes of outsiders who were unaware, they would at most think Ruidar had good talent. Behind him, he had no family, and he himself was not a noble; for a Meteor Knight to sneak in and assassinate him would be too beneath his status.

Most importantly, even if he took the risk and succeeded in the assassination, it would at most just disgust Luoning and could not fundamentally change anything.

After some deliberation, Luoning nodded slightly and said with a smile: "This is a happy thing for Ruidar; he has always longed for an opportunity to manage more Knight Squads."

Clearly, he had agreed to Lulansi's arrangement.

"Then Grandfather, how do you intend to handle Anbian City?"

Lulansi thought for a moment and said: "Anbian City will be temporarily handed over to Wushan Castle for direct management; I will have Albert arrange some personnel to handle the affairs there."

"Although that land has been recovered, the Bolante Bandit Group operated there for many years, and there must still be many intricate forces existing within it; it will take quite some time to gain complete control, and by then, the Fifth Knight Order will certainly be needed to cooperate."

"That is as it should be."

Luoning nodded immediately.

With the Fifth Knight Order placed there, the first purpose was to defend the border, and the second was to handle these matters.

"Alright, the arrangements regarding you are basically settled; leave the subsequent detailed matters to the people below to handle. Next, we should talk about your private affairs."

Private affairs?

Luoning was somewhat puzzled: "What matter?"

Lulansi laughed: "The news of you leading the team to annihilate the Bolante Bandit Group has already reached Jinyu City. His Majesty the King has written to me to express his congratulations, and at the same time, he would like to take the opportunity of Blanche's upcoming birthday to arrange for you to go to Wangdu for a meeting. If everything goes smoothly, the news of your engagement will be announced during the National Day celebration next June."

Luoning was stunned for a moment; he did not expect it to be this matter, which he had overlooked.

"I don't think I have been to Wangdu yet."

Luoning had no impression of Jinyu City in his mind because his predecessor had never been there; he only knew it was a prosperous place.

Lulansi laughed: "Indeed you haven't been, but meeting with His Majesty the King before the engagement is an etiquette that should be observed."

"Heh, if you don't perform well and fail to impress His Majesty Bruno, this marriage might not even be finalized."

The latter part of his sentence was just a joke.

After this birthday, Blanche would be nineteen years old.

A princess of this age who hasn't married, or even had her marriage finalized, especially with the previous two incidents causing much public criticism, damages the reputation of the Princess and the royal family.

The Wushan Family is a great noble house, they have already conceded benefits, and Luoning's conditions are not bad, so there is no reason to go back on their word.

"I remember Blanche's birthday is in late September, right? If you are going to Jinyu City, there isn't much time left."

"Mm. For this trip to Jinyu City, you had best travel by land and water to avoid riding a dragon directly."

Lulansi couldn't help but add: "So, after this victory banquet ends, you will have to set off." (End of chapter)