Imperial Crown

After three months of handling, Viscount John finally completed the sorting and relocation work and bid farewell to Snow Maple Territory.

This also means that Raven can officially start to take over Snow Maple Territory.

Outside the Eagle Castle, Raven rode on the Claw Yellow Flying Lightning, with Eric on his left and Volaf holding the Griffith family flag on his right. Behind him stood a row of personal soldiers in shining helmets and armor, and behind them followed the 200 best performing recruits.

Only old Gordon was left, holding the notebook he never left, wearing the enchanted monocle given to him by Raven, and writing furiously.

"It's time to get ready, old Gordon." Eric asked, "What are you writing about? Why are you so serious?"

"Today is a big day." Old Gordon did not hide his excitement: "It's a big day that the Griffith family hasn't had in hundreds of years!"

Looking up, I saw that the ink marks on Old Gordon's notebook were still wet:

On July 21, 1194, Baron Raven Ota Griffith officially incorporated Snow Maple Territory into the territory of the Griffith family!

"Let's go!" Raven gave an order, and the troops rushed to Snow Maple Territory.

The Nord Province has been stable for hundreds of years. The people of Snow Maple Territory also experienced the exchange of territories for the first time. They were somewhat at a loss. They could only use the usual way of holding celebrations. The trees on the roadside were hung with colorful ribbons, which was quite appropriate.

The people stood on the roadside, wanting to see what their new lord looked like and whether he was as young as the legend said.

When I really saw him, I was a little surprised, because Raven was not only young, but also too young. It was hard to compare him with the fierce image in the rumors.

When the Eagle Army passed by, they also subconsciously compared the differences between the new and old armies of the lords, and were surprised to find that Baron Raven's soldiers were better in equipment.

At least even the new recruits were wearing a full set of heavy armor.

Most of these heavy armors were captured in the Battle of Bloody Highlands. After being repaired and modified, some were equipped to the new recruits. Now, among the more than 2,000 new recruits, about one battalion can be equipped with heavy armor, that is, about 500 people.

Riding on the road of Xuefeng Territory, looking at the golden fields on both sides of the road, Raven's heart gradually began to heat up.

Although there was an idea before, there was always a limitation in front of Raven - lack of food!

Food is the foundation for the development of a territory.

The Eagle Territory is too small, with limited arable land. Although the food produced can be self-sufficient, it is very difficult to expand the population and develop other industries.

For example, the pillar industry of the Gold Shining Town - the tavern.

Previously, because of the war, the trade route was cut off, and it was difficult to import foreign wine and beverages, so that the tavern industry in the entire Gold Shining Town suffered a heavy blow, withered, and a large number of taverns closed down!

In fact, Raven had planned to build his own brewery a long time ago, not only for Gold Shining Town, but also to hope that Angel's Tears and Angel's Kiss could have a relatively stable output.

It's a pity that brewing requires food, and the Eagle Territory doesn't have that much.

Even if Raven stockpiled a batch of food before the war, it was not a long-term solution - other things could be imported, but if the food was strangled by others, it would really be a joke to the future of the entire territory and the entire family.

Food security is the top priority of a country and a territory.

Now, the acquisition of Xuefeng Territory has completely solved Raven's concerns.

If the Eagle Territory is like an irregular olive, then the Snow Maple Territory is a long, slightly curved loaf of bread.

Unlike the Eagle Territory, which has a variety of terrains and industries, and also has unique granite output, the output of the Snow Maple Territory is relatively poor, mainly agricultural products.

But the Snow Maple Territory is also uniquely endowed. It is located between two mountain ranges, and the Flowing Crystal River runs through it. The land area is only about six or seven times that of the Eagle Territory, but the cultivated land area is more than twenty times that of the Eagle Territory. According to the preliminary estimate of Old Gordon, as long as it is fully developed, it can fully support a population of more than 300,000!

This means that as long as Raven relaxes the policy and allows the serfs to eat enough, within twenty years, the population of the Snow Maple Territory will be able to double at least!

More population, more productivity, more soldiers!

The Snow Maple Territory is not only large in area and has a wide range of cultivated land, but also has a wide variety of cultivated land types. In addition to the fertile black soil suitable for growing staple food, there is also sandy loam suitable for growing peanuts, watermelons, and even the acidic red soil that flowers love the most.

This also means that the flowers used by Angel's Kiss can basically be self-sufficient in the future.

"My Lord." Eric whispered beside him: "The front is the Flowing Crystal River."

Raven looked up and saw a silver ribbon shining in the sun.

It was the flood season, and large and small fishing boats were floating on the river that was more than 50 meters wide.

This is the Flowing Crystal River, the mother river of Xuefeng Territory. It runs from northwest to southeast across Xuefeng Territory and is also one of the tributaries of the Mon'en River.

From today's perspective, the original riverside workshop is a little small in scale. The new workshop can be placed by the Flowing Crystal River to be responsible for large-scale industrial production.

For example, metal smelting and weapon forging, while the original riverside workshop can be used specifically for the manufacture of angel series products.

There is a stone bridge over the Flowing Crystal River. Not far across the stone bridge is Xuefeng Town.

As the core of the entire Xuefeng Territory, Xuefeng Town is quite large. Although it is not a commercial town, the permanent population has reached about 16,000, and the industry is relatively complete.

The streets are spacious and clean. The people of the territory no longer swarm on the roadside. Instead, a group of representatives, led by Xuefeng Territory’s political officer Kuman, lined up at the entrance of the town and prepared a complete welcome ceremony.

Not only were there spontaneously formed orchestras and fireworks performances, but local priests also organized church choirs to line up on both sides of the road to welcome.

After all, it is no secret within the Church of Light in Nord Province that Raven is favored by Archbishop Thomas.

The choir is composed of a group of children aged six to fourteen. The boys wear gray vests and white trousers; the girls wear plain white dresses.

They hold bouquets of flowers and wave them eagerly on the street. There is even a beautiful little girl who presents Raven with a wreath.

When seeing this scene, Raven felt as if he had returned to his previous life.

It was just that he was the child waving the bouquet and cheering below, but now, he was the one being welcomed.

Bending down to take the wreath, Raven held the little girl in his arms, and the political officer of Snow Maple Town, Kuman, stepped forward to salute and presented a welcome gift on behalf of Snow Maple Town.

A flag of the Griffith family, which was said to be embroidered by the residents of Snow Maple Town, with a red background and gold thread, showed extraordinary craftsmanship.

Raven gladly accepted it and said some seemingly gentle words. If you squeeze out the water, the dry goods can be summarized in one sentence:

Those who follow me will prosper, and those who go against me will perish.

It fully embodies the arrogance, strength and conceit that a noble should have.

And no one felt that this was inappropriate. Even without mentioning Raven's dazzling achievements, his own achievements alone were already very amazing.

That was a second-level magician in his early twenties!

Magicians represent power and mystery, and with youth, it is even more impossible to ignore.

The welcome party ended quickly, because everyone knew that it was just a prelude, a transition, to set the tone for Raven's rule.

Raven led his soldiers through Snow Maple Town and came to Snow Maple Castle.

Just like the name, the architectural style of Snow Maple Castle itself is also very distinctive.

The outer wall is paved with white granite blocks, carved with maple leaf patterns, which looks elegant, bright and neat, like a church more than a castle, and has the style of the Parthenon in Raven's previous life.

The servants were waiting in the yard. When they saw Raven coming, they knelt down and saluted to express their submission to the new master.

Snow Maple Castle is larger than Eagle Castle and uses more servants. Even if some were taken away by Viscount John, there are still more than a hundred people now.

There is no interest in torturing the servants. Under Raven's order, Old Gordon took Fiona to register these people and let them go back to their respective positions, stating that as long as they serve attentively, they don't have to worry about their jobs.

The soldiers began to take over the Snow Maple Castle. Simon and others began to re-survey the map of the entire Snow Maple Territory under Raven's order.

As the saying goes in the Nord Province, the new lord always has to do three major things when he takes office.

After a night's rest, Raven held a half-month buffet banquet in the Snow Maple Castle. Free people in the entire Snow Maple Territory can come to dine, and Raven will meet them in person to let them tell their troubles and "needs" in person.

Among the five major forces of the human race in the Middles Continent today, the class of people can be divided into three levels, from bottom to top: serfs, free people, nobles/priests.

Among these three, nobles and priests need not be elaborated, and serfs account for the largest proportion of the population.

They have no personal freedom. They have been the private property of the lord since birth. Poverty and ignorance are their synonyms.

Some families, such as the Fox family, are to prevent serfs from escaping, so they are stamped with the Fox family crest like livestock.

Then there are the freemen, who account for a small proportion of the population and are concentrated in relatively developed towns. The proportions in different regions vary significantly. For example, the proportion of freemen in Mon'en City is as high as at least 60%.

Freemen are also the main force of the floating population on the continent. Merchants, such as Denise and Fili, are of this status.

The freemen who can come and dare to come to Snow Maple Castle are undoubtedly merchants with considerable wealth. They bring their own gifts and behave politely.

They each have their own purpose.

Some people want to buy peace of mind, some want to reach a cooperation with Raven, and some are simply spies of other nobles to explore the details of the new baron and future governor of Snow Maple County.

The carriage stopped outside Snow Maple Castle, and the merchants walked into the castle under the scrutiny of Raven's personal soldiers. The strong physique, excellent weapons, and cold temperament of the personal soldiers, coupled with the ferocious masks on the faces of the recruits, gave those who obeyed Raven a strong sense of security, and also brought huge psychological pressure to those who had ill intentions.

When they walked into the hall, they saw Baron Raven sitting on the throne.

Raven wore black Warcraft leather high boots, neat white cloth trousers, and a silk high-collar dress with a pure black background and dark silver embroidery.

This is the masterpiece of the tailor master Urien of Monen City. It can not only reflect the low-key luxury, but also highlight Raven's heroic temperament.

This does not conform to the mainstream aesthetics of the Keynes Empire today, but it can better reflect Raven's style - a shrewd and capable man who rose to prominence through military exploits!

With his face that looked like a knife and an axe, he looked majestic without being angry. Although he had a smile on his lips, people could not help but respect him. All doubts about his age disappeared.

So, no matter what the merchants had originally intended, they would kneel down and salute Raven respectfully, calling him Baron Raven, leaving their gifts and names, and after a conversation with Raven, they would go to the side hall for dinner.

Although the process was brief, no matter who he was facing, Raven could always ask about the key and essence of the matter, showing his familiarity with business activities.

For example, when he met a merchant who specialized in transporting bulk goods, he would be concerned about warehousing issues; when he met a merchant who sold daily necessities, he would ask about the traffic situation; when he met a merchant who sold jewelry, he would ask about the public security situation.

In addition to these basic exchanges, some merchants would actually seek help from Raven.

From a lack of working capital and the need for investment to a large-scale caravan being robbed by horse thieves or guys acting in the name of horse thieves.

Raven also solved these requests one by one. The former only needed gold coins, and what Raven had the least of at the moment was gold coins - there were nearly 200,000 of them in the warehouse.

As for the latter, it was also very simple. As long as Eric brought Raven's personal soldiers to the scene, whether they were real horse thieves or not, they would become very easy to talk to and very reasonable.

In addition to the merchants, there were also some wild extraordinary people who came to visit, most of whom were first-level.

Some of them were retired officers in the army, and some were mercenaries.

The request was also very simple, hoping to serve the Griffith family and obtain the title and identity of a knight.

The knight is the threshold of the nobility and a title that can be passed down from generation to generation. Once you become a knight, your whole life will be completely different.

Raven is now called a baron but a viscount. It is not uncommon for a viscount to have more than a dozen or twenty knights under his command. With so many vacancies in the knights under his command, it naturally attracted the covetousness of many people.

It is impossible to give them the title, after all, it is worthless if it is abused.

However, Raven still gave them two conditions.

Either join the Eagle Army and start as a centurion; or become an instructor and be responsible for the martial arts training of the recruits.

The salary will not be lower than the standard salary of the first-level extraordinary.

Of course, they all need to be assessed.

This condition is not too harsh, but it is difficult to retain people without a title, so for eight consecutive days, a total of 31 extraordinary people came, and only three agreed to stay.

Even those who left did not clamor to make Raven look bad, hold a grudge against Raven, or show their martial arts on the spot to show their strength to attract Raven's attention. After all, everyone is a decent person, so it's better to part ways in peace.

On the ninth day of the banquet, the number of visitors began to decline, but as Raven's reputation for "handling things impartially" spread, the status of the visitors began to rise, such as knights and even barons from several surrounding noble territories.

On the eleventh day, a visitor who Raven had not expected came to Snow Maple Castle.

…