CH 40

The Duke is dead. The unrest is over.

The peace that the manor owners and commoners expected finally arrived again, but there were more things to deal with afterward.

The kingdom of Gadaat no longer exists, and Keys is no longer the royal city.

—Instead, the vast territory was named Desinia, and Wissas is the administrative center.

The Desinian Territory does not belong to any country and exists independently. Lord Desinia is no longer a vassal of anyone.

Xia Zuoyi Desinia has absolute ruling power in the territory.

Fifteen cities, including Wissas, will only have a single lord. And the rules of redistributing land and enfeoffing vassals will be abolished.

With the exception of Wissas, the administrative level system has been introduced in the remaining 14 cities, and the posts and ranks were set up at different levels.

The highest official in other cities is the mayor, who serves the lord and manages on his behalf.

The mayor is not a vassal of the lord, but a subordinate. He no longer has privileges in the cities he manages, has no right to privately set up taxes, courts, checkpoints, etc., and has no right to privately recruit soldiers.

The only person who has the right to conscript is the lord.

At the same time.

Soldiers will be sent to the fifteen cities in the Desinian Territory to garrison them, establishing a clear hierarchy among the soldiers.

However, the jurisdiction of all soldiers belongs to the Desinian cavalry.

The cities that lost their lords due to the Duke’s turmoil will re-elect suitable candidates in Wissas.

They will serve as the mayors in each city and handle various affairs for the lord.

Moreover, officials will be set up under the mayor in batches. And every official, including the mayor, needs to pass an assessment before they can take office.

The new regulations promulgated by Lord Desinia were quickly disseminated among the fifteen cities through the official documents and propaganda issued by the Thorns Chamber of Commerce.

Many people were shocked by this.

Xia Zuoyi Desinia is still the lord, not the king.

He abolished the vassal enfeoffment system in his territory… Such an approach is unique in the Western Continent.

This also caused some old-fashioned aristocrats to hold a very disapproving attitude towards this, and even began to oppose Xia Zuoyi’s decision.

They demanded that Xia Zuoyi re-appoint the lord’s vassals, appoint the nobles to other cities as lords, and restore the lord’s supreme rule in his own territory…

Everything is the same as before and cannot be changed.

Most of these old-fashioned nobles lived in the royal city without fiefdom.

They were previously coerced or controlled by Bass Richards… There was no way to support him on the throne.

But now because Keys is no longer the royal city, the abolition of lords’ enfeoffment system, and so on touched their fundamental interests, they united against Xia Zuoyi.

They even said that there are still other people in the royal family’s side line. If Xia Zuoyi Desinia doesn’t want to inherit the throne, he can choose someone else.

These words sound ridiculous.

The other sidelines of the royal family are incapable of fighting against Bass Richards.

After Xia Zuoyi successfully resolved the turmoil, they indiscriminately made such unreasonable demands.

Xia Zuoyi’s response to this was to send soldiers one by one to invite them to Wissas for a “detailed discussion.”

If there are no more objections to the policy he proposed, these people will naturally be put back to Keys and still maintain their original lives.

But if there are still objections, stay in Wissas and go back when they have reached an agreement.

If they have time to jump up and down to find trouble, most of them are idle.

That being the case, Xia Zuoyi didn’t mind raising a few more idlers in the city.

Among them, he made an accidental discovery.

That is, the son of Marquis Marco Case, also known as Nate Case. He’s very talented in language and is very eloquent.

When talking to a group of nobles, each of them will be left speechless and unreasonable1.

Xia Zuoyi expressed his doubts. Since he’s good at talking, why would he be fooled by Fernandi with a gold coin in Keys?

He asked.

Nate blushed and faltered, “Just, just… It’s the first time someone has called me brother so sweetly.” 

And someone so cute too.

He scratched his ear in embarrassment, “Besides, it’s just a slave. I don’t care about one more or one less… But, who could have thought that this man would become the knight commander of the lord’s black cavalry later…”

Nate whispered, “I wouldn’t have sold him if I had known.”

Xia Zuoyi, “If you didn’t sell Fernandi to me, how can he become the commander officer?”

Nate muttered, “In that case, I sold him wisely.”

After he came here, he could always meet Fernandi in Wissas. He feels a little awkward in his heart and uneasy all over.

After all, he beat Fernandi so badly in Keys…

Xia Zuoyi, “I’m going to make Marquis Case be the mayor of Keys.”

“After all, he once served as an important minister in the royal city, so dealing with various affairs in the city again must be done proficiently… It won’t be long before you return to Keys with your father.”

Nate pursed his lips and nodded, not knowing what he was thinking.

Soon after that, he took the initiative to find Fernandi and apologized for what happened at the beginning, “…I hope you, the knight commander, will not hate me for this matter.”

Fernandi, “I didn’t hate you, it’s not your fault. At that time, I thought I already had my revenge and I didn’t have any more regrets. I wanted to die so I deliberately angered you.”

Nate heaved a sigh of relief.

He said, patting Fernandi on the shoulder, “Actually, I don’t think I’m wrong.” 

“After all, I’m a nobleman and you were a slave at that time. You offended me so it’s normal for me to beat you… Cough cough, yes, of course, I now have a deep understanding of my mistakes. I was young and ignorant, too arrogant…” 

Nate finally confessed dryly under Fernandi’s silent gaze. His paw patting the other’s shoulder retracted tremblingly, then he smiled awkwardly.

Fernandi said, “Why did you come to me and apologize?”

Nate hesitated, “I want to work with the lord. I don’t want to go back to Keys with my father…”

“You’re also serving next to the lord. If the two of us have a rift because of what happened at the beginning, it will definitely be difficult for the little lord to handle it. I want to solve it first.”

Fernandi, “Is it a little early for you to think about this?”

Nate reacted quickly, “…you’re laughing at me!”

His mouth slumped again, “You’re right. I didn’t learn anything before, and now I really feel like I don’t know anything… I don’t even know what to do for the little lord…”

Nate scratched his head, looking a little distressed and depressed.

Fernandi, “The lord has decided to arrange assessment in the territory and select mayors and officials of various posts. If you are interested in these matters, you can study carefully and make preparations before the assessment.”

When he heard this, Nate looked hesitant and lacking in confidence.

Fernandi, “If you can’t pass the exam, go back to Keys and help Marquis Case.”

With that, he turned and left.

Nate gritted his teeth behind and shouted, “I can definitely do it!”

For the sake of the little lord, he must persist.

Since Xia Zuoyi’s territory has been expanded to fifteen cities.

Then, the current number of soldiers in the cavalry force is no longer enough to be sent to various cities for a full garrison.

All in all, it’s just not enough.

Xia Zuoyi ordered the Thorns Chamber of Commerce to publicize the news widely in its branches or subsidiary bases in each city.

—This year, for a reason, we made a special exception to implement conscription again.

Recruitment points will be set up in various cities. Anyone who meets the requirements can participate, including but not limited to civilians or slaves…

Among them, if the slaves want to participate in the conscription, the manor owner must release them. When they pass the preliminary review, they can leave, and the manor owner can get compensation from the branch of the Thorns Chamber of Commerce.

At this stage, there are too many things to deal with, but too few candidates are available.

Xia Zuoyi was too busy to take care of it.

The first thing to be solved is to arrange a mayor in each city as soon as possible.

Marquis Marco Case has been responsible for Keys, but the remaining 13 cities, including Fort Comoy, are still short of managers.

Xia Zuoyi exchanged his reputation value for many related books.

For example, the examination content of the administrative ability test and so on.

When Udit walked into the study with lemonade, he saw the little lord lying on the table writing and drawing. He’s so absorbed in his work that he didn’t even notice that one of his cheeks was accidentally stained with ink.

Udit gently put the lemonade down and walked to Xia Zuoyi’s side to wipe it clean.

Xia Zuoyi obediently looked up and remembered something, “Udit, have the priests of Keys arrived in Wissas?”

Although the church and temple of Keys were destroyed, the bishop and the deputy bishop were also disposed of.

But there are many priests, deacons, and so on below them.

These people acted on orders, their sins were not so serious as to be condemned to death.

What’s more, people who can be pastors or deacons are all knowledgeable, at least literate.

Such people are talents everywhere.

It’s a shame to ignore it because of their past.

Moreover, the Holy See has a special theological day on which the clergy in the church will spread and teach theological knowledge.

Some clergy even made great achievements in music, mathematics, and so on.

Otherwise, the clergy would not be so respected.

Xia Zuoyi: He’ll feel sorry for himself if he doesn’t bring back ready-made teachers to squeeze 

Udit said, “They’re estimated to reach Wissas in two days. What do you want them to do?”

Xia Zuoyi, “If I want to have test questions, exam papers must be written.”

He wants them to produce a set of comprehensive administrative ability exam papers.

Assessment of speech comprehension and expression, judgment and reasoning, data analysis, logic problems, etc… 

Those participating in the mayor’s assessment in the territory must also have strict conditions, such as age range, basic arithmetic skills, and logical analysis ability.

Xia Zuoyi ordered the Thorns Chamber of Commerce to release the examination news and conditions. Those interested in taking the exams will go to Wissas in two months.

Translator’s Note: