Chapter 45 Preparation for Departure
According to what Knight Charles said in the letter.

He has successfully contacted the pioneer knights in the Hanshui River Basin, including Dragon Ridge Mountain, Blackwood Forest, Hanshui River Valley and other areas.

Now he sincerely invites Rhodes to join his alliance.

If you agree, you must lead your soldiers to his territory within three days.

Meet up with many alliance members to discuss the attack on the barbarian city.

Rhodes took a look at the situation and found that most of the pioneer knights near Pingdingshan were in the alliance.

If he doesn't join, he will most likely be isolated.

Unlike the Round Table Council, the former only provides a platform for the most powerful pioneering knights to discuss affairs.

It is equivalent to a large contact center, which makes it convenient for each other to understand the situation and to find someone when something happens.

The Round Table itself does not have any mandatory obligations.

But the alliance proposed by Charles the Knight was different.

The other party united with the major pioneering knights nearby, and its purpose was obvious.

That is to form a military alliance with oneself as the leader and an offensive and defensive alliance in the name of jointly attacking the barbarian cities.

It is different from the single-handed fight of a single pioneer knight.

Once the military alliance was formed and the forces of dozens of pioneering knights were integrated, the status of Knight Charles, as the top boss, immediately changed.

Although it wasn't obvious from Charles Knight's letter, no one was stupid.

Rhodes could see it, and so could the other invited pioneer knights.

But they still chose to join because it was an open and aboveboard conspiracy.

As a descendant of the Earl of Mayfield's family, Knight Charles is very powerful and has a noble background.

At least in their pioneering area, it is considered top-notch.

Winter is approaching, and the imminent threat of barbarians puts everyone's safety at risk.

In addition, it is the instinct of the nobles to stick together for warmth.

Seeing that the most capable fighter on their side proposed an alliance, the others were not in a hurry to refuse.

In addition, the consensus of the nobles is that my acceptance of the invitation does not mean that I agree.

Let’s get together and discuss it first.

The alliance must be formed, but whether you can secure the position of the boss is not certain.

At that time, everyone will rely on their own abilities and compete fairly.

After receiving the letter, Rhodes accepted the invitation and prepared to leave soon.

Although he couldn't compete for the position of leader of the alliance - his status was high enough, but his team was seriously lacking in strength - there was no harm in joining the alliance.

They are all acquaintances from the neighborhood. They all know each other through the brick and stone business and get along well because of the relationship of interest.

It's good to get together and take care of each other.

Moreover, they are all aristocrats, and they have their own family relationships behind them.

During a war, the leader of an alliance would never really let any member do something that would lead to his death.

It doesn't matter if we send civilian serfs to die, but if we send allied nobles to die, our reputation will be ruined.

By then, you won’t be able to mix in the kingdom’s aristocratic circles.

He might even be sanctioned by the aristocratic alliance of the Round Table and become a victim of the Twelve Seats of the Round Table trying to win over the aristocrats.

The advantages outweigh the disadvantages, so Rhodes has nothing to hesitate about.

He started making arrangements immediately and then rode his horse back to Hekou Town from Pingdingshan.

It has been just over a week since I became the lord of Hekou Town, and the town is still under construction.

A large number of serfs were gathering along the river bank, digging fish ponds, and on the other side was a factory making clay bricks.

Batches of newly formed clay bricks were transported out and placed in the sun to dry.

As Rhodes arrived, the eye-catching snow horse under him quickly attracted the attention of the serfs.

"It's the Lord, the Lord is here!"

"Hurry up, come and meet the Lord!"

When they saw him approaching, the serfs stopped what they were doing, trotted over, and fell to their knees in a rush.

Their eyes were filled with gratitude and admiration. After a week's work, they truly felt the difference of the new lord.

It’s not about slogans or bloodline, but that they can really eat their fill through work!

It’s not that disgusting cold water catfish, but real bread. Those who work hard can even get copper coins.

The demands of the serfs were actually very low. Being able to have enough food was enough to make them grateful and kneel down from the bottom of their hearts.

At a glance, Rhodes saw six or seven hundred people kneeling in front of him. This feeling was quite magical.

No wonder time travelers in ancient times were all focused on climbing up. In the feudal era, if you didn't find a way to climb to a high position, you would be the one kneeling on the ground.

Rod jumped off the snow horse.

At this time, a middle-aged man wearing a blue hat trotted over and bowed to him.

"Master, if you need anything, please tell Maren."

Blue Hat Maren was chosen by Rhodes to be the steward of Hekou Town.

He was originally one of the villagers who followed from Songguo Village.

Because he could read and had performed well on the way here, Rhodes sent him to Hekou Town to help.

There was no other way, as all the original officials in the town were taken down by him.

Even if there are still some alive, it is impossible to continue to employ them.

So far, he's doing a good job.

"Everyone, stand up. You don't have to kneel when you see me in the future. Just bow."

Rhodes said to the serfs around him, asking them to continue working, and then looked at Maren, "Go to the castle hall and wait. I have something to announce."

"Yes, sir." Ma Lun did not dare to delay. After bending down 90 degrees, he hurried to the hall.

Rhodes found Holmes who was stationed here, and the two hundred reserve troops he was responsible for training.

"Sir, we have only completed basic formation training so far. I am afraid we will not be able to be deployed to the battlefield."

After listening to Rhodes' introduction to the alliance and knowing that a war was going to happen, Holmes couldn't help but shake his head.

Rhodes looked at the open space behind him.

There, two hundred serfs were lined up in two teams, one hundred in a large team and ten in a small team.

A week of training was far from enough for them to master the shield and spear formation.

But at least I can remember my place in the queue and arrange myself quickly.

"There is no time to train slowly, the rest will go to the battlefield and let them grow on their own."

War is always the best catalyst for the growth of new recruits.

Just one or two life-and-death battles are enough to transform him into a combat-ready veteran.

Of course, the premise is to survive.

Rhodes brought Holmes to the castle hall.

There were also two knights, Noah and Loren, who had received the notice and rushed over.

As well as Luke, who manages the villagers of Pingdingshan for him, and Blue Hat Maren, who manages Hekou Town.

The combination of these people temporarily constitutes the current management of the territory.

"At the next alliance gathering, Holmes and Loren, you come with me, and bring all the cavalry, shield spearmen, and reserve troops."

Rhodes sat at the first seat and gave them instructions.

"Noah, you stay in Hekou Town, and Sabertooth Tiger will help outside. The Fifty People's Militia and White Bread will stay in Pingdingshan."

"Luke, Maren, the two of you help stabilize the order of the two territories. When I'm away, I'll focus on stability. If there are any problems, let Noah make the decision."

"As long as nothing goes wrong during this period, after I return, the two of you will be official officers of the territory, responsible for general affairs and production construction."

After hearing his words, Luke and Maren couldn't help showing excitement and joy on their faces, and made assurances repeatedly with gratitude.

Holmes and Loren nodded calmly.

The only one who was unhappy was Noah.

But there was no other way, someone had to be left behind to guard the territory, and since he was the weakest, he could only accept it with a bitter face.

(End of this chapter)