Black Iron Crown

Leaving the confines of the imperial capital full of melancholy, Reiner was speechless along the way.

Although which position is at his fingertips, he still has to think about the things he will face after obtaining that position, not to mention whether he can secure the throne, just this position is a target exposed to everyone.

Although righteousness is in his own hands, there are too many opposing forces and enemies. Even if Leiner has three heads and six arms, it may be difficult to deal with open and dark arrows from all directions.

It's better to give up the throne temporarily and go back to the northern border to accumulate strength. When the time is right, it will happen naturally.

On the way back, all the lords of the royal family were in a very good mood. They didn't know the real identity of the little emperor, so they didn't have a strong idea of ​​overthrowing the little emperor. They were very satisfied with getting so many benefits.

The same is true for the vassals under Leiner's command. Many of them have made great contributions in this siege, and they will be rewarded generously.

"Let's start here, we should implement the conditions on the contract now!" Leiner pointed at the village in front of him with the whip in his hand.

"But..." Earl Jollal said hesitantly, "Leiner, what is the use of these populations? This will seriously slow down our marching speed!"

As soon as his words fell, many lords nodded one after another, expressing their incomprehension of Reiner's actions.

When the treaty was signed before, these lords did not understand such conditions, but since the upstarts were also present at the time, it was good to be right anyway.

Although they understand that population is a very important resource, it is not worth taking such a long distance back. It is definitely more cost-effective to bring enough property than to bring people back.

What's more, the territories of some lords are already overcrowded.

Overcrowding does not mean that the territory is full of people, but that the land in the territory no longer needs so many people to cultivate it, and overcapacity has occurred.

Although they will also reclaim some land, the growth rate of the land is far behind the growth rate of the population, and even the serfs will be driven away.

Reiner is full of envy for this, his desire for population is absolutely beyond any one person, and he also hopes that he can be so extravagant that he can drive people out of his territory.

In that case, it means that the number of its subjects has exceeded at least ten million.

Obviously, this is his elusive dream. Based on the current population base of the northern border, it is impossible to reach that population even after another two hundred years.

"I have my own uses!" Reiner said with a slight smile: "I can give you more benefits, but I need more people to enrich my territory. Dishwashing powder, please forgive me."

The lords nodded one after another. Although these residents would become a burden on the march, since Leiner said so, they couldn't refuse.

The soldiers under Reiner's command dispersed to various villages one by one, gathered the villagers and brought them to the assembly point.

A snake spirit kicked open the small and dilapidated house of the villagers and barged in, and the rest of the soldiers did the same.

For a while, women's exclamations and men's shouting and cursing could be heard, and soon, the whole village was gathered together.

As a regimental captain, Kerim commanded the soldiers under his command and was responsible for the assembly of the three villages.

Seeing the panic-stricken villagers gathered in the center of the village, he shouted loudly: "Don't panic! Calm down and don't be afraid!"

His words had some effect, and the villagers who were still trembling, looking at the surrounding soldiers with mistrust and panic eyes, quieted down.

"We are the soldiers under the command of the Grand Duke of the Northern Territory Lena, and I am the captain of this regiment. According to the agreement between the imperial capital and our Grand Duke, from now on you are the people of the Northern Territory, and you will be ruled and protected by the Grand Duke of the Northern Territory. Therefore, you must follow me to live in the north!"

"But our home is here!"

After being silent for a while, a thin and short boy stood up. His clothes couldn't even protect against the cold, and there were still many holes in this autumn.

"Come back, don't offend your lord!" His father immediately pulled him back, slapped him twice on the back, and then knelt down on the ground while pressing the boy's head.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jun. My child offends you by being ignorant. I hope you can forgive him!" The father, who seemed to be middle-aged but was actually less than thirty years old, said sincerely.

Someone in their village once offended the knight master, and ended up being beheaded, and which wandering knight has not received any punishment.

Although he didn't know if the old man in front of him was a knight, but he commanded three or four hundred people, so he was obviously a noble old man.

Kerim walked in front of the two with a smile. Feeling that the other was getting closer and closer to him, the middle-aged man almost stuck his head into the soil, and didn't dare to look up at all.

But just as he was waiting for a whip or a long sword, he felt someone pulling his arm.

Looking up, I found that it was an adult.

I saw this adult wearing a heavy armor pulling his arm, and said gently: "Don't be afraid, from now on you are a resident of the Grand Duke of the North, and we will protect your safety. You pay taxes for His Majesty, and His Majesty is responsible for providing you with shelter!"

After Kerim finished speaking, he looked at the people present and shouted loudly: "Don't worry about leaving your hometown! You will get enough arable land there, and you can buy livestock at a very low price! As long as you want, the people in the territory The forest is yours to hunt!"

"His Majesty the Grand Duke is merciful, the annual tax is only 40%! You can have a lot of food left over every year for you to eat!"

The residents looked at each other in blank dismay. They really couldn't believe what Kerim said. Eating can make you feel full, and living in heaven is nothing more than that.

"That's right! You heard me right. I used to be an ordinary resident of Karil Village, but now I'm already a captain. I own 620 acres of arable land and a lot of wealth. This is His Majesty the Grand Duke. Granted to me! You will be blessed to live under His Majesty's rule!"

Hearing what Kerim said, these residents couldn't help discussing. If it was true what he said, then it would be nothing to leave their hometown.

So, more than 200 people in the whole village simply cleaned up and followed the team to their next goal.

Leiner planned to bring at least 50,000 people back to the northern border. Only in this way would he be able to pay back the cost. This was the limit that the food in Leiner's team could afford.