Chapter 280: Estrangement
Lord Malbert...
The actor didn't actually show any suspicious behavior, but Li Ang intuitively thought that it was most likely him.
Because, only if Malbert is the leader of the Knights of Dusk, all this makes sense.
King Ulric had adopted Malbert as his son a few months ago - that was just after Ulric had held that simple wedding for Alanric.
He sent Alanrique to Lake Lion City to marry Alma's eight-year-old niece, and made Lake Lion City Alanrique's nominal territory, but did not give Alanrique any army - this was obviously not intending to make this biological son with a genetic disease his heir, but only to take back Lake Lion City through his son's marriage.
It was at that time that Malbert went to Sarleon and became cupbearer at the Royal Council and secretary of the throne room, a position exclusively held by the King's heir.
In other words, Malbert originally had the possibility of inheriting the throne - a formally adopted son has full inheritance rights, but he has to change his surname.
But before long, Ulrik had a beloved princess...
Obviously, Malbert was a backup plan that Ulrich found, and was his last helpless choice.
If the princess really gave birth to a little prince, then Malbert, the godson, would definitely not be able to inherit the throne - so Malbert would not really cooperate closely with the three prophets. He wanted to gain more power to suppress the power of the three prophets...
So he wanted Leon to join the Dusk Knights, or to control Leon alone in other ways.
Only then does it all make sense.
In this case, Leon decided to add one more person to his list of big clients - Malbert.
In fact, Leon was not sure whether it was this guy, but no matter whether his guess was right or not, it would work after all - even if he guessed wrong, at least he could let the Dusk Knights help him attract firepower.
He planned to use the statement "Bridge established the Kingdom of God in Toba City with the support of the Knights of Dusk" as a test.
Bridge was definitely under the control of the Knights of Dusk. Leon was certain of this, and the three prophets must have known it as well.
Well, if Brigi and the Knights of Dusk established a so-called kingdom of God in D'Shar, this would definitely not be in line with the wishes of the Three Prophets - the power of the Three Prophets did not penetrate into D'Shar, a place that worships Wata.
They will definitely think that the Knights of Dusk did this behind their backs.
At the same time, this would also allow Leon to sell Toba City in a logical way...
"Lisadiran, go to Singar and ask Ramon to find Brigi and have him introduced to Emile Xerxes. I know Emile Xerxes must be in Singar..."
Previously, Leon had staged a show to induce Cardan's Wind Riders to spread the news of Bridge's "usurpation of the throne", and Ramon had also cooperated to spread the news.
Now that Brigi has become the 'usurper' of D'Sha, his only choice is to surrender to Emile Xerxes, otherwise there will be no place for him in the entire D'Sha.
If someone could introduce him to Emile Xerxes, who had always claimed to divide Desha equally, it would be Bridget's lifesaver.
And Emile Xerxes, who had been recruiting followers, would have been happy to get a capable person like Brigi.
Originally this was just to let Cardan fight with Bridge, but now, Leon decided to really sell Toba City to Bridge.
To be precise, it was sold to Cardan's younger brothers, Emir Xerxes and Brigi - letting Emir Xerxes become the 'Bahard Khan' and letting Brigi become the ' Desert Prophet', to jointly establish a new kingdom of God in the city of Toba.
It is obvious that the Knights of Dusk are behind Bridget. Once the news of Bridget's "establishing the Kingdom of God" reaches the three prophets, what will the three prophets think?
Moreover, there is Alistair, the leader of the Twilight Knights, as 'evidence'...
As Leon thought about it, he glanced at Alistair who was still in autistic state.
"Eric, go get Lehman..."
Leiman is indeed in Leon's army now. He suffered heavy losses in Sava River Fort before, and has been working with Eric to control the merchants since then.
After Leon's army moved south, Leiman continued to fight with the army, trying to gain some credit to make up for the loss of the Qicha Fortress.
But he did not have many soldiers and could not serve as the main force, and Leon did not treat him differently. However, Leiman did make many contributions during the attack on Toba City - he and a dozen of his men defended a military station on the city wall, which was considered a great achievement.
And now, the Lord has decided to give Rayman a huge credit...
"Lord Leon, you're looking for me?"
Leiman has always been very polite to Leon. This is not because Leon has defeated him in the arena, but because Leiman has seen Leon climb from a small role in the Mist City to the position of the Kingdom Marshal.
He once regarded Li Ang as his rival, but now, he can only regard Li Ang as a goal - and it may be a goal that he can never achieve in his lifetime.
"Sir Lehman, our army has basically achieved the goal of sending troops. We have already captured Toba City and captured some of Cardan's relatives. I think this result is more than enough, so I plan to withdraw."
Leon was also very polite to Leiman. After all, Leiman was a rare loyal and brave man among the lords of the Fierce Lion Territory. Oden still had some vision in choosing a son-in-law.
"Are we going to withdraw our troops now?"
Leiman seemed a little unwilling: "I also know that just like you didn't occupy Ashcoman, the kingdom's army will definitely find it difficult to rule Toba City and will have to leave sooner or later. But at least you have occupied Toba City now. You have to force Cardan to pay compensation and seek peace before we retreat, right? Just like Agathon occupied the Qicha Fortress before..."
Of course he was unwilling to give up. The contributions he made in this battle were far from enough to offset the guilt of losing the Qicha Fortress. He also wanted to try to snipe Kadan in Toba City.
"Leiman, as you said, it is difficult for us to truly rule Toba City. There is no need to let the kingdom's army face the counterattack of Desha thousands of miles away. The lives of brothers are precious. Anyway, Cardan's relatives are in my hands now. Whether we withdraw our troops or not, he can only pay compensation and seek peace."
Leon stood up and explained, "I plan to sell Toba City and, by the way, Kadan's position as Bahad Khan. I believe you can understand that this is the best option for both the Sarleon Kingdom and us."
Leiman was silent for a while, then nodded: "You are right. But His Majesty the King may not be satisfied with this..."
Leiman could understand what Leon said, which was to divide Dersha into two - Emir Xerxes had always claimed to divide Dersha equally. If Leon supported him to become Bahad Khan, this would be legally tenable.
This way, D'Shar will remain divided and in constant civil war, which is indeed more in the interests of the Sarleon Kingdom.
But this method of operation does not seem to be as honorable as "forcing Cardan to pay compensation and seek peace". Considering King Ulrich's temper, he probably will not be satisfied.
"King Ulric? Ha... If you bring some local specialties from Toba City back to His Majesty, he will definitely be satisfied, and it will definitely make His Majesty forget the crime of you losing the Qicha Fortress."
Leon took Leiman outside and walked to the place where the prisoners were held - those prisoners were the so-called local specialties, that is, dozens of captured Desha people.
These captives were not warriors, but rather the "nobles" of D'Shar, that is, the relatives of Cardan.
These included Cardan's many concubines and the children born to several of them.
In fact, this was the biggest gain after conquering Toba City. Cardan probably took away his wife and children, but these unappreciated concubines were left in Toba City and were captured by Klose and Jocelyn.
Women in D'Shar did not have a high status, and Cardan's concubines actually had no status at all - for most D'Shar people, all concubines other than the wife were equivalent to maids, had no status at all, and were often transferred to others.
But Kadan was Bahad Khan after all, so it was naturally not convenient to give his women away, and those children were indeed his - they just had no status either. Children born to a concubine were actually equivalent to illegitimate children.
But no matter what, these people are indeed the highest-grade local specialties. If these women and children are sent back to Sarleon City as prisoners of war, it will certainly be a first-class achievement.
"This... Lord Leon, these prisoners are very valuable. They are all your military achievements, and you should deal with them..."
Leiman obviously didn't expect that Leon would assign him such a beneficial task, and he felt quite flattered.
"This military achievement is useless to me... You know, my reputation is not very good. Many people in Sarleon say that I am a 'dissolute and shameless person'. If I bring them back to Sarleon, it may not be a military achievement, but all kinds of suspicion and slander..."
Li Ang said helplessly.
This was indeed the truth. The reputation of being 'dissolute and shameless' spread when he was beaten by Godric in Changhe Town. Even Amy, who was far away in Eagle Claw Castle, heard about it.
"…Thank you for your kindness, Lord Leon. I will repay you. However, how should I report the military situation to His Majesty the King? Should I tell the truth?"
Leiman bowed to Leon. This was a really good assignment and he really had to express his gratitude.
According to convention, Li Ang should deal with the prisoners captured by his troops, and usually ask the enemy lord to pay money to redeem them.
But if Leon asked Leiman to pass it on to Ulrik, the king would naturally not be dissatisfied anymore, so Leiman was also very sensible and planned to cooperate with Leon.
"You can tell His Majesty the King the truth. A usurper named Brigi has emerged in D'Shar, and he has the support of the Knights of Dusk. In order to avoid losses, I withdrew from Toba and let Sir Alistair of the Knights of Dusk occupy it. Your Majesty will surely understand that waiting for D'Shar to fall into civil strife is the best way to serve the interests of the Sarleon Kingdom. The King will be satisfied."
Leon thought for a moment, then sat down and began to write a military report in front of Leiman. He added as he wrote: "Tell His Majesty that Bridge and the Twilight Knights have jointly established a kingdom of God, which is said to be called 'Desert Twilight'..."
Leiman nodded as he listened, bowed to Li Ang again with a sincere heart, and accepted the task.
After sending Leiman away, Eric, who had been standing by, asked Leon awkwardly, "Sir, what is this Desert Dusk...?"
"Oh, that's a random name I made up... Eric, go dress up Alistair. I plan to make him the lord of Toba City. He wants to be a great lord anyway, so let him do as he wishes."
…
Seven days later.
Sarleon throne room.
This was the second day after Rayman returned to Sarleon.
"... a man of merit... conferred upon Sir Lehman the title of Grand Baron... and commanded the Royal City Guard..."
Malbert stood on the steps of the throne room, reading a lengthy imperial decree, conferring the title upon Sir Lehman.
Just as Leon expected, after Reman brought Cardan's relatives back to Sarleon City and publicly presented them to King Ulric, he received a reward far exceeding his achievements just the next day.
Not only did the king not mention Leiman's guilt for losing the Qicha Fortress, but he also let Leiman lead the royal guards - using Cardan's relatives as prisoners was indeed very useful, and Ulrik was obviously very satisfied.
But greater power usually comes with greater responsibility, and Lehman also received two extremely troublesome tasks...
"Baron Lehman, His Majesty hopes that you can manage your fiefdom, Qicha Fortress, well... At the same time, he also hopes that you can manage the Royal City Guard into a strong army that is no less powerful than the Lion Knights."
After Malbert finished reading the imperial decree, he also handed over the two "responsibilities" to Lehman.
Actually, this was really Leiman's job. Qicha Fortress was his fiefdom, but it was burned down by Agathon, so it had to be rebuilt - as a lord, it was natural for him to rebuild his own fiefdom.
And now that Leiman is the commander of the Royal City Guard, replenishing the Royal City Guard’s troops has become Leiman’s regular job...
These are tasks that require a large amount of dinars to complete... Ulrich is taking advantage of the situation in the name of promotion, and it seems that the national treasury cannot provide any subsidies - anyway, no one mentioned anything about money and food.
But after Malbert finished talking about the enthronement and the king's task arrangements, he returned to his clerk's seat, looking a little gloomy, as if he was not in a very good mood.
King Ulrich himself did not show up when the imperial decree was announced - on the morning of that day, the palace physician diagnosed that the princess was pregnant, and the king was in ecstasy and did not want to leave the princess' side for a moment.
…
That night, at the Adventurer's Inn.
This is the room on the second floor of the tavern where Leon once met Sarah.
Malbert, wearing a black cloak with a hood, was arguing violently with a beautiful woman.
"I told you, I don't know! I haven't heard of any damn desert twilight!"
Malbert seemed a little crazy at this time: "Go and tell the three prophets that I have no idea what Bridget has done! He is out of control, understand!"
"Then you should also tell your Grand Master that Alistair, the leader of the Dusk Knights he sent to capture Leon, has become the lord of Toba City! He should give an explanation for this! Otherwise... humph!"
The beautiful woman was also tit-for-tat and had a bad temper.
Moreover, after saying this, she climbed out of the window and disappeared into the night.
Malbert looked at the woman's gradually disappearing back, and the corners of his mouth twitched unconsciously: "You want me to explain... How the hell should I explain? You're already 'pregnant', and you still want me to explain? Humph... Fortunately, I didn't let you know my identity..."
