CHAPTER 66: CHAPTER 59: FARMING AND DEVELOPMENT

The day had broken.

The armored soldiers were cleaning the battlefield.

Losa rolled up Prajna’s sleeve, looking at the scorched and curled skin with some heartache, and said, "Let me bandage it for you."

Prajna shook her head, reached out, and gently rubbed her arm.

A layer of skin came off, revealing beneath it skin as tender as that of a newborn baby.

Seeing Losa’s surprised expression, the corners of Prajna’s mouth slightly lifted.

"I’m fine, go do what you need to do."

Losa, seeing the rare smile on Prajna’s face, instinctively reached out his hand and gently pinched her cheek, showing her cute little canine teeth.

Prajna’s appearance easily made people overlook her actual professional role.

"Thank you. I don’t know how many times I would have died without you."

He sincerely expressed his gratitude.

"No... no need to be so courteous."

She awkwardly raised her hand to remove Losa’s hand, but stopped halfway: "Go on quickly, protecting you is my innate duty."

Losa nodded deeply and began with the soldiers to collect the loot from the bandit camp.

The bandits who had laid down their weapons were tied into a long line.

The winged cavalry guarding them shouted, "Our lord is a sacred person favored by the Heavenly Father. He has made a promise not to harm your lives and will not break this sacred oath. As long as you are honest, everyone can survive!"

The armored soldiers were either searching bodies or rummaging through boxes to find wealth.

In last night’s battle, there were very few casualties, which is the effect of "Dark Vision."

The power of the spellcasting attendants was evident.

At this time, someone shouted, "Sir, I have found their treasury."

The spoils were claimed privately.

But what Losa referred to as spoils included only the armor and belongings the bandits carried with them, while the pack animals and the bandits’ hidden treasures all belonged to Losa.

This was already a rare generosity.

After all, the armor and weapons on these armored soldiers, and even the soldiers themselves, belonged to Losa.

Losa hurried over and was immediately struck by the pile of gold and silver coins, sculptures, silk, gems, spices, and more, stacked like a hill.

If all this wealth were converted into gold coins, it would be worth at least three thousand Suludes!

This was even after a major sacrificial ritual last night by the bandit leader, which consumed a lot.

"No wonder so many lords are keen on looting; there is no business faster than robbery."

Losa murmured to himself.

With this money in hand, he wouldn’t have to worry about military expenses for a long time.

"Laine, Model, you two supervise and load all these treasures onto the cart to be transported back to Jorgelisburg."

"Hans, take some people and escort those bandit captives to Kaler Castle as a gift to our neighbors."

...

Not far away, inside Kaler Castle.

The sleepless Countess Stephanie was full of anger: "That uncouth baron dares to break his promise. Haven’t we heard anything from them yet?"

A knight walked in from outside the hall: "Madam, the messenger from Baron Jorgelisburg has arrived. He also delivered a letter."

"Messenger? He didn’t come in person?"

Countess Stephanie, full of frustration, took the envelope and opened it, her expression softening considerably.

The letter’s handwriting was beautiful, and the phrasing was elegant, not at all like that of a nouveau riche baron ignorant of noble etiquette.

"Dear Lady Stephanie, I am your admirer, the lord of Jorgelisburg—Losa von Habsburg. Even before reaching the Holy Land, I had heard of your generous reputation.

As a devout believer, I must thank you for your selfless gifts and donations to the pilgrims.

Regrettably, on my journey to visit you, my entourage and I once again encountered an attack by desert bandits.

This disrupted the meeting we were supposed to have last night, but in this urgent situation, impoverished as I am, I cannot afford to lose the gift I intended to present to you.

Fortunately, by interrogating captives, I found the hiding place of this band of desert bandits.

"Therefore, I have decided to eradicate this group of bandits that have been roaming the Jordan River Basin for years, and present them as a welcoming gift to you, my new neighbor."

"Ha, this Baron Losa truly doesn’t know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth."

Lady Stephanie sneered, "Who doesn’t know that this gang of heretic bandits will immediately be devoured by demon fire if they even think about revealing their hideout?"

"If solving this stubborn problem on the Jordan Riverbank were really that simple, it wouldn’t be up to him to take action?"

The subordinate appeared a bit embarrassed and quietly reminded, "Madam, when this letter was delivered, that group of bandits had already been dealt with."

"That’s impossible!"

Lady Stephanie instinctively replied.

The subordinate spoke firmly, "I thought it was impossible too, but I witnessed it all with my own eyes. The treasure cart belonging to Baron Yorgelisburg and the captured Bedouin bandits formed a long procession, and it wasn’t just me; many saw it firsthand."

Stephanie was slightly embarrassed and after a long pause, she coughed lightly, saying, "It seems we have underestimated this young man."

"Indeed, someone favored by His Majesty the King wouldn’t be an ordinary person."

"What else did the envoy bring?"

"A group of bandit prisoners. Baron Losa says that he has spared their lives, but this cannot undo the heinous crimes they’ve committed, and hopes that you, madam, can help sell these heretic prisoners into slavery, so they can atone for their sins in the remainder of their lives."

Lady Stephanie was startled, then sneered, "Selling them into slavery? He simply doesn’t want to break his oath and really forgive these scoundrels."

"Accept them at the price of twenty dinars each. I will have them transported to the Jordan Riverbank and hang them all there."

These bandits, notorious for their crimes in Lady Stephanie’s territory, would meet no good once in her hands.

Losa never forgives bandits!

...

Time flies, and in a blink, ten days have passed.

In these ten days, the development of Jorgelisburg has already progressed into a steady state.

The originally dilapidated, deserted city walls now looked completely renewed, with newly constructed battlements adorned with numerous small catapults.

Two carpenters were constructing an irrigation canal leading to the village down the mountain, centered around the well within the castle.

Villagers from various villages, ready to attend the Mass, stood outside the door of the Lord’s Hall with apprehension, watching the brightly armored soldiers guarding the entrance.

Each of them held a two-handed great axe, dressed in layers of chain armor, including some they knew well and would greet with smiling faces. Now, these soldiers looked at them coldly, gripping their axes and gazing at them with a wary eye.

This air of ferocity rendered the villagers who came for the Mass speechless with fear.

Knight Hans was temporarily assigned the duty of conducting the Mass.

This clearly doesn’t comply with established norms.

Yet Losa’s prestige in Jorgelisburg had apparently reached a level comparable to His Holiness the Pope, and many acts considered rebellious by others went unnoticed here.

Leonard, this fanatic, privately shouted, "The will of the Lord is the will of the Heavenly Father! Because the Lord is the Holy Son, and the Holy Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Father are all one."

...

During these ten days, Losa gained two new card draws, resulting in a Varangian Guard barracks and a section of wall, two building cards.

As for the wall, there’s nothing much to say. The level-one wall merely heightened and reinforced Jorgelisburg’s existing structure, without expanding the size of the castle.

The Varangian Guard, is an existing infantry regiment of the Eastern Empire, composed mostly of Vikings from Northern Europe, Albion, and Novgorod.

Training one costs fifty Suludes, with a Baron level cap allowing up to 100 members.

Mostly, they are heavy armored infantry armed with two-handed axes and shields, replacing the "Imperial Guard" known for its tradition of regicide, becoming the permanent mercenary army guarding the Imperial Palace of the Eastern Empire.

In terms of combat capability, they indeed stand at the pinnacle of infantry for this era, but the issue is, opportunities for infantry to thrive in this era, apart from defending and sieging, are few and far between.

In a field battle, a small number of elite infantry would be inconspicuous amidst a massive conscription of foot soldiers.

If an army primarily composed of conscripted soldiers were to collapse, even a hundred-member Varangian Guard by Losa’s side couldn’t turn the tide.

Given the same expense, Losa would rather add a warhorse and train winged cavalry than commission the Varangian Guard.

Thus, during these ten days, Losa only selected ten of the most elite, including Laine and Model, armored soldiers to transition into the Varangian Guard, to serve as his private guard.

At dusk.

An earnestly worded letter was delivered by the messenger.

"War is imminent, Baron Losa. As a baron serving the Royal Family, I, in the name of the King of Jerusalem, your Feudal Lord, summon you to Jerusalem. You must bring all your cavalry and at least ten armored soldiers, and arrive in Jerusalem City within two days to respond to this call."

This letter came from Baldwin IV.