flstandardbreds Chapter 160 Royal Contract
Chapter 160 Royal Contract
Hearing the king mention Black Watch to him, John, who had been quite relaxed, immediately became nervous, and his sitting posture changed from leaning against the back of the chair to sitting upright in the chair.
"Could it be that Blackwatch has been developing too fast recently and attracted the king's attention?" John thought so, and cold sweat broke out on his palms.
The king also noticed John's appearance and said to him in a soothing tone:
"Don't be so nervous. I called you here not to punish you, but to discuss this matter with you."
After that, the king handed a document with the royal emblem printed on it to John and asked his attendant to hand it to him. John took it and read through it carefully. After reading the entire document, John felt relieved. What? It turned out that they were looking to do business with him.
According to the above content, the king wants to reorganize a new army, hoping to achieve a combat effectiveness far beyond other armies through a management structure similar to that of mercenaries and combined with the tactics of regular troops. As the largest mercenary group in Midland, the king hopes to hire 2000 mercenaries to serve as the grassroots of this army, provide training for the recruits and serve the king for three years, and John can get a considerable reward from it.
"Well, Earl John, what do you think?" The king asked expectantly after seeing John put down the documents.
"Let me think about it." John did not agree to him immediately, but first analyzed the pros and cons of this matter for himself.
No matter how beneficial a choice is to oneself, it will have more or less negative impact.
First of all, if this contract is signed, John will not only get money, but the Black Watch Mercenary Group will also become the first mercenary group in Midland's history to cooperate with the royal family. By that time, the influence of Black Watch will be able to directly cover the entire country and even spread to other countries.
However, sometimes the higher you stand, the harder you fall. As early as the beginning of the creation, John's goal for Blackwatch was to make money for himself, but he could not participate in politics, because politics requires capital. Being trapped in the whirlpool of politics for a long time will make the money earned by the mercenary group go down the drain. This is what John least wants to see, and it is also the principle that John has always followed: strengthen himself and stay away from the political center.
But after all, this was an invitation personally extended to me by the king. If I refused, not only would I miss out on a guaranteed big order, but the newly solid relationship between the monarch and his subject would also be damaged.
"It's difficult." John wanted to make money, but he also wanted to keep the matter from being too high-profile and causing hostility from others. Now it seemed that he could only ask for some information from outside.
Thinking of this, John asked the king:
"Your Majesty, does anyone else know about this besides you and me?"
The king was a little caught off guard by this question. He didn't understand why John asked this question. Any normal person could understand the huge benefits of cooperating with the royal family. In other words, shouldn't more people know about this kind of thing?
"I haven't told anyone about this except you and me."
"That's good." John first breathed a sigh of relief and then responded:
"Your Majesty, although this may seem very beneficial to me in your opinion, it is very detrimental to my future development."
"What does this mean?" the king asked in confusion.
"Your Majesty, according to the history books I read before, in any period of the Kingdom of Midlan, those who wanted to reform the kingdom, especially those who carried out military and financial reforms, ended up in a particularly miserable situation."
"Although some people's reforms did not affect the interests of the nobles, some conservative nobles still obstructed it in various forms. Those nobles would rather stay in their original broken but familiar comfort zone than make changes for the new era."
"If I reach this contract with you this time, even though it is just a slight revision of the Midland Army, some nobles will still try to threaten their original system. In the end, not only will the content of this contract be obstructed, but my own mercenary business will also be affected."
After listening to John's words, the king thought about it and realized that this was indeed the truth. Although some reforms in history were successful, the people who initiated the reforms did not have a good ending in the end. However, the king still hoped to fight for it again, so he said with a little regret:
"Is there really no way out?"
John replied:
"Your Majesty, I am extremely busy now. Not only do I have to deal with territorial issues, but I also have to be prepared for sneak attacks from the Yoda people at any time. If you drag me into the political vortex of Windam now, it will really make me overwhelmed." The implication is that although John is a member of the court faction, John does not have time to fight with the ministers of Windam. Being able to resist the attack of the Yoda people on the border is the biggest thing John can do at present.
Seeing John's straightforwardness, the king understood John's political stance and could no longer persuade him. It was indeed remarkable for a young man under 20 to manage such a large piece of land. And it was the right thing to do. Without someone like John fighting bloody battles with the Yoda people on the border, how could the ministers of Wendam have time to fight among themselves?
"Then it seems that we can only ask other mercenary groups. I'm really sorry to trouble you and ask you to rush here from the border in your busy schedule." The king was a little discouraged at this time. After all, this was his first time to carry out reforms in the country. He didn't expect to encounter so many troubles at the beginning.
Suddenly, an idea came to John's mind. John thought about it for a while, and then said to the king:
"Your Majesty, I have an idea. Do you agree with it?"
Seeing John suddenly change his words, the king was puzzled and realized that John might have come up with a good idea, so he responded:
"As long as it works, I will definitely agree."
After getting the king's consent, John sorted out his thoughts and said:
"I think this recruitment can be open to all citizens of the country, and qualified personnel can be selected from them to join the newly formed army. At the same time, some experienced mercenaries can be recruited to supplement the grassroots officers. At the same time, Black Watch mercenaries can also take the opportunity to join the legion to help you train soldiers. However, in the end, they must retire before joining the army so as not to be noticed by others."
"Indeed, you can, but I'm afraid that people with other ideas will take the opportunity to enter the army, which will be detrimental to the command of the army." The king first agreed with John's words, and then expressed his concerns. If you want to recruit nationwide, with Midland having no population screening at all, some criminals may really sneak in.
"Then you should narrow the scope to the territory under your jurisdiction and let the town managers guarantee their operations. At the same time, when recruiting mercenaries, try to choose those with good reputations. Of course, the most important goal is to maintain combat effectiveness."
After several hours of discussion, John signed a slightly modified employment contract with the king. John would provide 500 mercenary officers to instruct the land servants for one year. The remuneration would be paid in two installments. The first payment would be when the Black Watch mercenaries arrived, and the second payment would be after the army inspection was completed when the contract expired.
John, who signed the contract, refused the king's request for a dinner and left the palace in a hurry, saying that he had too many border affairs. This time both sides gained something. John gained the king's trust and a good reward, and the king got a general who did not participate in politics and focused on fighting the Yoda people.
After leaving the palace, John saw the blazing clouds outside and realized that it was already so late. The White Wolf Knight beside him advised:
"My lord, it's getting late. Why don't we set out tomorrow morning?"
"Okay, let's wait until tomorrow." John said this and prepared to get on the carriage to his apartment in Windham.
"Lord John!"
Suddenly, a gentle female voice came from behind John. John turned around and saw Matilda standing not far away opposite, waving and calling him, then she trotted through the crowd and came to John.
When John didn't know what she was going to do, Matilda mustered up the courage to say to John:
"Well, thank you very much for sending me back to Wendam. I heard that you arrived in Wendam today. My mother wants to invite you to the party she is hosting tonight to express her gratitude to you."
After saying that, he handed an invitation to John with both hands.
Hearing Matilda say this, John felt that it would be a bit unfair for her if he didn't go, but he still said:
"Ahem, Miss Matilda, I'm really sorry. I just discussed state affairs with His Majesty the King, and now I'm really tired. Please express my gratitude to the lady."
After hearing John's polite refusal, Matilda thought for a while, and then continued:
"The banquet will be held at the Kingdom Restaurant near the palace. It would be a shame if we didn't go there."
"The Kingdom Restaurant?" John had heard of this name from Count Milo. It sounds ordinary, but it is a restaurant that has existed for hundreds of years since the early days of the kingdom, specializing in receiving domestic dignitaries and foreign guests. Count Milo once told him: "If a noble has never been to the Kingdom Restaurant, then they are no different from farmers in the fields."
In addition to serving the upper class, the most amazing thing about the Kingdom Restaurant is its buffet banquet, which has been specially approved by Count Milo, a famous Midland gourmet.
After a few seconds of mental struggle, John responded to Matilda without hesitation:
"I will definitely go."