Chapter 167: War Merit Rewards Arrived!

Good heavens! Gervas exclaimed, "Good heavens!"

Of course he recognized it; naturally, he had to recognize it!

Moreover, he had also figured out why Marshal Mi Xiusi did this.

That was because he feared being held accountable later and having his hand caught.

Beating a noble, and one with a higher title than himself.

Although not as severe as a commoner beating a noble, it still depended on the background and strength of both sides.

Fario's father served under the Southern Governor; if he truly found a way to cause trouble for me, it would certainly not be easy then.

After all, an honorary noble is still a noble.

Everything ultimately depends on one's foundation.

And now, Hou Jue Mi Xiusi has already punished me.

If anyone dares to use this matter to make things difficult for me in the future, wouldn't that be slapping Hou Jue Mi Xiusi's face?

"Everyone, a toast to the recapture of Paka City!"

"Cheers!"

Time passed, and a week later.

Inside the most luxurious manor in the eastern district of Paka City, a group of nobles raised their glasses in celebration.

Since the tribal army agreed to withdraw that day, by dusk yesterday, all tribal soldiers had finally withdrawn from Paka City.

And immediately following them, the Kingdom's army, led by Marshal Mi Xiusi, successfully recaptured this city, which had been conquered and occupied by the enemy for half a year.

For this, the nobles specially held a grand celebration banquet.

Although the noble army faced many dangers during the campaign, fortunately, they successfully recaptured the lost territory in the end.

So, no matter how they stumbled and crawled through the process, this still counts as a great victory.

Moreover, even without merit, there was hard work; according to past precedents for great victories in expeditions, the noble fiefs that participated in the conscription could at least be exempted from half their taxes.

Do not underestimate this half of the tax.

Nobles extract heavy taxes from serfs; what about the feudal lords?

The serf tax rate is fifty percent.

Actually, the noble tax rate can also reach forty percent.

Only a small number of more benevolent feudal lords compress it to thirty percent.

This is the tax revenue of an entire fief.

So, if a border Baron produces two hundred gold coins in a year, under normal circumstances, he must pay eighty gold coins in taxes.

If exempted from half the tax, that is equivalent to saving forty gold coins this year.

Whoosh!

"They're here! The Royal Griffin Squadron has arrived!"

The nobles on the manor lawn suddenly cheered; it turned out that five griffins were flying in from the northeast.

The five griffins were robust, their sharp claws gleaming with cold light.

They were even wearing golden soft armor, looking majestic like divine birds.

On their backs, naturally, sat a Griffin Knight clad in armor, with a steady aura, a resolute expression, and an imposing presence that commanded respect without anger.

And they were none other than the knights of the Royal Griffin Squadron from the Capital.

One of the most noble knights in the Kingdom.

And their purpose for coming was already self-evident.

After Fario was detained that day, Marquis Narcissus immediately wrote a report detailing everything here and sent it to the Capital overnight via a Magic Swift Eagle.

Not only did he report the crimes of Fario and several nobles conspiring to flee the battlefield.

He also reported the merits of Gervas, Brick, and other nobles.

Of course, to make the report look better, it also included records of the perseverance and fighting to the death of some people like Narsi and Mi Er.

Flap! Flap!

As their wings beat, the five griffins landed on the square in front of the manor's small building.

Hou Jue Mi Xiusi personally stood up to welcome the five Royal Griffin Knights.

"Greetings, Hou Jue Mi Xiusi!"

"It is actually Deputy Commander Adrian! You have worked hard!"

"No, Lord Hou Jue Mi Xiusi, to serve Your Majesty is the honor of all of us in the Royal Griffin Legion!"

"Additionally, congratulations, Hou Jue Mi Xiusi. Your Majesty is very pleased to hear that the southwestern border has been recaptured. I have also brought the decree of rewards from His Majesty the King for all the meritorious personnel in this campaign."

Speaking thus, Deputy Commander Adrian took several exquisite scrolls from his bosom.

"Haha, Deputy Commander Adrian, I have only done my duty. My lord, please follow me!"

Hou Jue Mi Xiusi did not delay; he invited Deputy Commander Adrian to the front of the banquet.

He knew exactly what the nobles were most expecting at this moment.

"Nobles, the King's commendation has arrived. Below, I will announce the rewards for this campaign's merits." Adrian slowly unrolled the scroll.

"First, for all nobles who participated in the conscription this time, except for those who committed crimes, His Majesty the King will exempt half of the taxes on their fiefs for this year."

As expected, the nobles indeed received the grace of tax reduction.

"In view of Commander Brick, Baron Kane, Baron Jay, Baron Morrison... who fought bravely and unfortunately sacrificed their lives in this campaign."

"His Majesty the King has specially bestowed one Brave Warrior Medal, and a pension of one hundred gold coins for each sacrificed noble; if they have offspring in their family, their offspring may complete the inheritance of the title according to the order of the eldest son."

"If there are no offspring, but there are blood brothers or nephews, they may also inherit through their blood brothers or nephews."

"If there are no blood brothers or nephews, his lands shall be converted into one hundred gold coins, to be given together with the condolence payment to his parents or family!"

"The King's Majesty is benevolent!"

Hearing this, many nobles cried out in unison.

Human hearts are made of flesh; for those fallen nobles, now that His Majesty offers generous condolence, they may rest assured in future battles for the kingdom.

"Next, Commander Narsi, Viscount Mil, Baron Bern... In recognition of your heroic and indomitable fighting spirit in the face of the enemy, and your meritorious service in recovering lost territory for the kingdom, each of you shall be rewarded with five swift horses and ten sets of leather armor!"

"Thank Your Majesty for this grace!" Mil and the others exclaimed in excitement.

They never expected they would not only survive, but also receive such rewards.

And everyone knew that everything they now possessed—and even this victory—came from Gervas's glory.

At this moment, Marshal Mi Xiusi finally turned his gaze toward Gervas.

"Baron Gervas, Viscount Catherine, in recognition of the crucial role you played in this battle and your outstanding military achievements."

"His Majesty specially bestows upon you the Knight's Heart Medal, and hereby ennobles Gervas Gail as Viscount, and elevates Viscount Catherine to the rank of Count!"

"Additionally, Baron Gervas shall be granted a fiefdom, the location of which shall be determined by the Southern Region Governor's Office."

"Wow!"

"Good heavens, did I hear correctly? Viscount Catherine has also been ennobled as a Count?"

"Yes, what's going on? Could Viscount Catherine's merit be as outstanding as Gervas's?"

Upon hearing this news, the crowd below erupted in uproar.

Everyone clearly understood Gervas's merit; whether it was his elevation to Viscount or the grant of a fiefdom, it was entirely deserved.

But Viscount Catherine's reward came as a shock to the nobles.

That was a Count's title—going from Viscount to Count was many times harder than rising from Baron to Viscount!

Of course, the only thing that wasn't entirely outrageous was that Catherine received no fiefdom; the value of this Count title was thus greatly diminished.

In truth, not only were the nobles bewildered, but even Catherine herself was utterly confused.