Mount and Blade System: Start from Pioneer Lords

“The Tedberys are the oldest family in the East, existing for at least four or five hundred years. Even the Duke of the East is very polite to us. Why should we be so respectful to a group of northern barbarians? My father is really getting old!”

In a field, the elite Flaying family knights were resting.

A brown-haired young man was slashing wildly with his sword in the forest, venting his dissatisfaction.

Red Tedbery was full of indignation. As the only heir to the Flaying family, no one knew the family's strength better than he did.

As the oldest family in the East, their soldiers were incredibly strong after countless years of accumulation. They had two thousand fully armored cavalry alone, and the remaining soldiers were enough to form three infantry regiments.

The total number of soldiers was nearly thirty thousand.

Because of this, he couldn't understand why Earl Bolten, his father, was so respectful to a young man younger than him.

They were clearly the only masters here.

“Who is it?”

He suddenly felt a gaze, turned his head, and saw a young man who looked seven parts similar to him, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed, watching him.

“My good brother, I share the same thoughts as you on this matter.” The man smiled slightly, lowered his arms, and walked over.

“Father is old. Just a few northern stinkers scared him like a newborn beaver, eager to find a mother who can protect him.”

“I personally think that if you inherit the earldom, it will definitely make the family more prosperous.”

“Hmph, Bolten Riverwen, I know what you're thinking.” Red looked at the young man with the same bloodline as him: “You are just a bastard, without the family name, and your mother is just a lowly mill peasant. It's not your turn to discuss who should inherit the earldom.”

“And unless I die, the position of earl will never fall to a mongrel!”

“Know your place, or I don't mind flaying you myself!”

Red bumped into the other person with his shoulder, snorted coldly, and walked towards the camp.

“Mongrel…” Bolten patted his shoulder, the smile on his face disappeared, and quietly watched the other person's back.

…

The terrain of Mislin Land can be described as peculiar. The first half is still slightly flat woodland, mostly with straight birch trees, but when you follow the dirt road built by the Flaying family, wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side, to the depths, a rushing river, seven or eight blades wide, lies in front of you.

Because it was too turbulent, it didn't freeze, otherwise everyone could save a lot of effort.

However, there was also an ancient stone bridge that had weathered the years, connecting the two banks, allowing the vanguard legion to pass.

“This stone bridge is older than Tedbery. I really don't know how it has remained so strong until now.”

Earl Anno sat on a small stool, casually sticking a piece of rye bread on a straight branch he had broken off, and roasting it over the fire.

It would take a while for thirty thousand people to cross this stone bridge, so several leaders set up a bonfire on the open space next to the stone bridge and started a small symposium.

“Who knows, maybe it was built by a magician proficient in earth elements, whose powerful magic allowed it to escape the power of time.”

Levi was staring at a team of cavalry passing over the stone bridge. These were the soldiers of this old boy, Anno.

Everyone was wearing well-made cavalry armor, and the warhorses under their butts were all fat and strong, obviously well-fed. These knights were disciplined, three abreast, passing over the stone bridge unhurriedly. There were as many as two thousand of them.

However, the subsequent infantry was much worse. Most of them wore chain mail inside and a layer of leather armor outside, only slightly better than those militiamen.

They were completely incomparable to the heavy armored infantry regiment of the Thorns Legion.

But thinking about it, it's normal. Raising two thousand elite cavalry is not just talk. The cost of feeding people and horses is more difficult than raising a ten thousand-strong army.

This earl obviously knew that it was better to specialize in one thing than to be strong in everything, so he put most of his resources on the cavalry.

No wonder he was confident in doing the scouting task. The elite level of this cavalry can indeed be regarded as first-class.

“Old An, your cavalry is good. Whether it's equipment or discipline, it can be regarded as the level of Tedbery's first-class cavalry regiment.”

Levi saw that the other person's bread was almost roasted, and snatched it over with lightning speed, threw it into his mouth in two bites and chewed it, and gave a pertinent comment: “It's a bit burnt, but it's barely edible.”

“You are also a Lionheart Knight, with fame and status. You even rob bread.” Earl Anno looked at the empty branch in his hand and sighed helplessly.

“If the noble ladies of White Stream City knew that their dream lover was someone who even robs bread, I'm afraid many people's dreams would be shattered.”

“Other people's things are the best.” The lord looked like a rascal, saying incoherent words: “Besides, what's eaten into the stomach is one's own.”

Earl Anno shook his head and roasted another piece. “I almost had to beg for food to raise this so-called first-class cavalry regiment.”

“I'm poor!”

“Damn, are you crying poor to me? Your fief is at least within Tedbery, rich in oil, and you don't have to worry about making money at all. My big bellies eat astronomical figures every day, and Highcliff Castle is in the remote countryside. This lord can't even find a serf to exploit.”

“I'm raising a group of people all by myself, and I'm almost out of money for my wife.”

Speaking of this, the lord immediately became energetic, almost revealing his plan to rely on his special skills to find a rich woman.

“Is it that serious?” Anno couldn't help but laugh.

Although since there was an iron mine, and with the spoils of several wars, the lord was not particularly poor. You can tell from the fact that he still luxuriously adds two eggs to his three meals a day.

But it doesn't prevent him from crying poor. After all, a crying child gets milk.

“I can't lie to you. Just look at this guy. He eats enough for four or five people every day. I'm almost planning to sell my sword that has been with me for many years to save the emergency. If the title of Lionheart Knight can be exchanged for money, I would rather exchange it for gold coins.” Levi pointed to Zart, who was gnawing on a deer leg next to him, with a look of disappointment.

“Hehe.” Zart giggled and immediately devoted himself to the cause of eating.

For it, the happiest times are when eating and fighting.

“That's true.” Anno nodded, looking at the burly orc, and then took the initiative to say: “Why don't I lend you some? Although I'm also poor, I can still squeeze out a little.”

Levi looked surprised. He didn't expect this Earl Anno to be so warm-hearted. After thinking about it, he finally waved his hand: “There's no need to borrow money, after all, this is not a long-term solution.”

“I'll be honest, Lord, I have a good business, do you want to invest in it?” The lord said what was in his heart, and quietly leaned over.

“What business? It wouldn't be promoting that chili pepper, would it?” Anno immediately looked alert.

As a staunch Duke supporter, he naturally had a good relationship with Sir Skye, the captain of the guard. Therefore, he had heard a lot about the Lionheart Knight from him.

The small matter of promoting chili peppers was then taken as a joke. At that time, he thought that this knight was too whimsical, so he was deeply impressed.

In his opinion, this knight may have excellent military talent, but he has no business talent at all. Promoting chili peppers is not as profitable as catching a few half-orcs and opening a brothel.

So he was extremely wary of this so-called business.

“Damn, it's Skye again, saying everything. I just mentioned promoting chili peppers.” The lord's heart ached. This Skye almost made him miss a big business.

“I'm going to open a card room.” Levi told the truth.

In Tedbery, there are only a few entertainment options, and the playing cards he brought from his previous life will definitely occupy a place.

However, his base is in the wilderness, making it difficult to deal with the chores in Tedbery from so far away, so he thought of pulling Anno, this local snake, into the partnership.

The two are equal in status, and even if they argue, they can reason.

Anno frowned.

He had played this new card these days. To be honest, it was quite addictive, but if you play it for a long time, you will inevitably lose interest.

“Levi, let me tell you the truth, the card you invented is really fun and novel enough, but it is probably impossible to get people to spend money to play it.”

“And after others learn it, they will immediately imitate your cards and open new stores, and maybe even implement it directly in brothels.”

“Your card room has no advantage and probably won't last long before it goes bankrupt.”

“Unless…”

Anno paused.

Levi immediately asked for advice humbly: “You say.”

“Unless your card room is changed to a casino, using the card you invented to gamble money.” Anno took out the baked bread and slowly tore it into pieces and put it in his mouth.

After eating, he earnestly summarized: “Levi, the merchant business is not so easy to make money. We are nobles and there is no need to open any shops, which is completely thankless.”

“We only need to collect business taxes from the shops in our territory to earn a lot of money, and even tolls, etc.”

Finally, the earl showed a meaningful smile: “What we should think about is not opening shops like merchants, which may lead to bankruptcy if we don't do it well. What we should think about is how to attract more merchants to the territory and collect 'legal and compliant' business taxes.”

“Wow, Lord, you are really my guiding light, I understand.”

The lord was greatly shocked, and the chaos in his mind seemed to be cleared by a big hand.

Frankly speaking, opening a store, etc., was completely the idea of a small civilian in his previous life, and he had not yet changed.

What is he now? He is now a nobleman!

To put it bluntly, it is completely a country within a country, with territorial autonomy. The only thing that needs to be paid is some taxes to the liege lord every year, which is euphemistically called protection money.

And he can also charge fees to those below him.

To give a practical example, if the Mithril Merchant Guild opens a shop in Highcliff Castle, he can completely charge them taxes.

However, Anno said it so well that the lord guessed that the other party must have suffered losses in this regard, maybe even lost his pants, otherwise how could he have such deep insights.

Levi himself combined the methods of his previous motherland to verify and found that he, as a nobleman, really didn't need to open a store.

He vigorously developed the territory, built passes and set up checkpoints, which was completely more profitable than opening any store.

The plan to increase income from side businesses was declared bankrupt, but Levi didn't care much. He, who controlled the iron ore trade, didn't rely on this to eat.

The chat ended, and the content that really involved military affairs began.

“Should we leave some soldiers to guard here?”

Levi just thought of this. It is only five days away from the Southern Territory. It is flat all the way forward, and only here can be barely regarded as easy to defend and difficult to attack.

If the enemy intercepts it here, their logistics will be devastatingly hit.

Especially since the Flaying family is still nearby.

To be honest, Levi had a very bad first impression of that Earl Bolten just now.

Although most of the reason came from the other party's extremely cruel family precepts - naked people have few secrets, and flayed people have no secrets.

The other party's banner is a flayed man. It is rumored that this man was the first flayer of this family, and the descendants seem to have inherited this hobby.

Therefore, the Tedbery family does not have a good reputation in the noble circle.

“No, Duchess Frelina will leave enough soldiers here. What we need to do is to open up a bridgehead first.”

Anno shook his head.

Don't look at that Earl Bolten being polite just now. If they dare to leave soldiers on the other party's territory, it will definitely cause trouble.

So this matter has to be done by Duchess Frelina, not by these small earls.

“Then let's go and let Mrs. Frelina solve this problem.”

Levi patted his butt and got up, then unzipped his pants and extinguished the fire with Earl Anno before getting on his horse and passing the stone bridge for the last time.

…

As they entered the Southern Territory, the scouts sent by the other party became more and more numerous.

Even Earl Anno's cavalry scouts felt the difficulty. They had wins and losses, and finally had to send gnoll scouts to easily reverse the situation.

You must know that the dire wolves under the gnolls' butts have soft palms, which means that even when they run, the sound is so slight that it is difficult to hear, and the sound of horseshoes is destined to be difficult to hide.

Not to mention their keen sense of smell, which can detect the other party's tracks several miles in advance.

Scouts are competing for concealment and who discovers the other party first. The gnoll cavalry completely crushed this group of human knights in all aspects.

The most direct manifestation is that after the gnoll scouts discovered the other party's tracks several miles in advance, they touched their backs silently like ghosts and launched a surprise attack, killing them in a crushing defeat.

However, the other party can be described as resolute, and almost no one was left alive, which led to the entire vanguard army being able to judge only through the frequency of the other party sending out scouts and the information sent back by the main force in the rear.

It felt like they were playing against a legion, not the main force of the Southern Territory.

After another day, around noon, it was still snowing sparsely in the sky. Levi was in the only carriage, squeezed together with Fatir, Sophia, and four drow elves to discuss some knowledge about magic.

Anno rode his stag horse, which was mixed with some blood of magical beasts, in a hurry.

“Levi, there is a situation ahead?”

Levi lifted the carriage curtain and jumped out.

"There's a band of Southern soldiers stationed in a small town, about four to five thousand men."

"Four to five thousand men..." Levi pulled out a map, studied it for a moment, and then said, "It shouldn't be Damon's main legion, most likely they are lords who were conscripted."

The entire Deber army is organized the same way, six thousand for a legion, twelve thousand for a large legion.

As a complete legion, it is almost never divided, as this would greatly affect combat coordination.

So four to five thousand men only has one possibility, that is, the other party is either the lord of this town, or a noble Damon conscripted from other places.

The three exchanged glances, unable to hide their eagerness. After all, four to five thousand men are not even as many as their vanguard, and it's not enough for them to defend the city.

They could completely take the credit and the honor of the first battle without waiting for the arrival of the main legion.

Doing so would not be disobeying orders, after all, the meaning of the vanguard is to clear obstacles for the main force within its capabilities.

But whether to fight or not, they still have to carefully compare the strength of both sides.

"Is this place an easily defended and difficult to attack checkpoint?" Earl Tess asked.

"No." Ando, who was responsible for scouting, shook his head. "Looking at the map, this town is called Kalia, just an ordinary agricultural town, the only specialty is cabbage."

"The city wall is only three blade lengths high, not even as tall as Levi's centaur captain."

"Our scouts have also been discovered by the other party. Whether it's attacking or retreating to a suitable position to build fortifications and wait for the main force, we'd better make a decision as soon as possible."

"Could this just be bait? Attracting us to attack the city, and finally their main force comes for a pincer attack?" Earl Tess frowned. Although he was eager to establish merit, fighting is not a child's play and must be cautious.

"I don't rule out this possibility, so I think we can surround the city, and then send my scouts out to scout around, and finally determine that there are no enemy troops before fully attacking the city."

"Even if the other party has a main force, but as long as they can't make it in time, we can fight."

Levi thought for a while and gave a safe suggestion.

The premise of a pincer attack is that they are fighting fiercely with the people in front, unable to take care of their rear, and this tactic may be successful.

Otherwise, with them prepared, it is not an easy task to eat this thirty thousand people.

"I think Levi's proposal is good. As long as we take this town at an extremely fast speed, even if the other party's main force arrives afterwards, we can completely occupy this town and defend it." Ando put away the map and neatly folded it into his clothes.

Although the city wall of this town can be said to be non-existent, with 30,000 people stationed there, they can create enough usable natural fortifications with ice blocks in a very short time. It is absolutely impossible to take it down without more than twice the soldiers.

Tess was originally inclined to take this credit, and since both of them had no objections, he naturally didn't either, "Then let's try."