Chapter 35: Constance Manor
When Lothar emerged from the royal palace, Baron Godfrey was already gone. An attendant handed him a slip of paper with Baron Godfrey's address in the Holy City. The attendant said the Baron invited him to be a guest after he had finished with his immediate affairs.
Stepping abruptly from the dim palace into the blazing sun, Lothar instinctively shielded his eyes. He mused inwardly that it was no wonder many Crusader nobles in the great hall had adopted Arab attire. He felt he indeed needed an Arab-style "keffiyeh"—a loose white robe—plus a white headscarf.
In his ear, the system's notification sound chimed.
[You have activated and completed the milestone—"I Have a Small Manor."
Description: A manor is an important component of a lord's estate and a crucial channel for acquiring income.]
[All beginnings are difficult. You have already obtained your first manor. Will the second and third be far behind?]
[Advanced Milestone Activated: "Real Estate Tycoon"—Acquire ten manor estates or workshops. (1/10)]
[You have received one Card Draw chance.]
A slight smile touched Lothar's lips. Indeed, after arriving in the Holy Land, even without obtaining a fief, card draw opportunities would become more frequent. He had designed far too many milestones back then, so many that even he couldn't remember them all.
Fringilla, who had been waiting outside for a long time, was the first to approach. "What is it? You look so happy."
"Nothing much. Just acquired a manor estate in Jerusalem. We can stay there now, no need for inns anymore."
A look of joy crossed Fringilla's face, then she quickly put on a stern expression and snorted coldly, "A mere small manor is enough to make you show your happiness so openly? Back then, I lived in the royal palace of the Blood Court, a structure that the Great Lord of Blood conscripted thousands of werewolf laborers to build over a full three years. Compared to it, the royal palace of Jerusalem is but a country squire's farmhouse."
Fringilla tried hard to appear more reserved and noble, but Lothar didn't buy her act at all, perfunctorily pushing her aside. "Yes, yes, yes, Your Highness."
Banu watched this scene coolly, her face still devoid of any emotion. But Lothar still smiled at her with gentle warmth. He had always harbored special feelings for Banu; she was someone who had been with him from scratch, a constant companion who listened to his innermost thoughts, like a friend, and also like family.
Of course, a hint of romantic affection couldn't be ruled out either. To be with a woman of Banu's beauty day in and day out and not feel any romantic sentiment, one would have to be a eunuch.
Lothar came before his followers and said gravely, "Everyone, today I was granted an audience by His Majesty the King and swore an oath of fealty to him. His Majesty has bestowed upon me a manor as our residence in Jerusalem."
"That's wonderful! His Majesty values Milord so highly!"
"I heard many knights from Gaul who wished for an audience with His Majesty were turned away at the door!"
"Milord, it seems you are set for a meteoric rise!" Hans, Ryan, and Moder were all visibly overjoyed. The new subjects also felt a share in the glory. Ever since they followed Lothar across the vast ocean to the Holy Land, their fates had become inextricably linked with his. If Lothar let them live, they would live; if Lothar bid them die, they would have to die.
Legally, they were freemen, but in reality, they were no different from serfs, because Lothar was the lawmaker and could change his mind at any time. Only the artisans and merchants in the free city-states could barely be considered truly "free."
"Lord Lothar, now that you have a manor, does this mean we will have land to farm?" someone asked with a trepidatious expression. If they could avoid fighting, that would be for the best. Even in a place like the March of Austria, not everyone produced was a fierce and combative warrior.
"I'm afraid not." Lothar shook his head. "The manor His Majesty granted me is not a knight's fief, but rather a villa-like estate. It can house people, but it has no land and no serfs." This clearly didn't meet the standard of a "territory" and couldn't help him activate the system.
"Oh, so that's how it is." That man looked disappointed. Among the male subjects, his character was the weakest; on the day they killed the bandits, his hand had been trembling when he held the blade.
"You're Dieter, right? I remember your name."
Dieter muttered under his breath, "It's Tuval, Milord."
Lothar, slightly flustered, continued, "I know you don't like war, but you must understand, if I acquire a fief in the future and grant you land, will you be able to defend your land? Or do you think that if the infidels come, kill me, your lord, you can then save your own skin?"
"I..." Tuval was stunned for a good while.
Lothar then looked at the others. "Whether you cower and tremble before the bandits' butcher knives as before, or rise up and resist with the spears and shields I have bestowed upon you, it is entirely up to you. My promise will never change: once I acquire a fief, you will all receive your own land. But how much is granted will be determined by military merit."
"Tuval, you coward!" someone cursed. Andreas, the one who had formerly served as a knight's personal manservant, gave him a sharp kick. "Tuval, serving our lord is an oath we all took together! If you dare to break it, we will not spare you! And after you die, you will surely suffer in the fires of hell!"
Tuval said aggrievedly, "I didn't... I didn't mean to break the oath... I was just asking Milord. I just prefer farming."
Lothar clapped him on the shoulder and pulled him up from the ground. "There's nothing wrong with liking farming. After I acquire a fief, you will be in charge of researching how to increase grain yields." He said pleasantly, "Now, let's first return to the manor His Majesty granted me to rest. It has been a hard journey these past few days for everyone. The manor's name is Constance, a name my father chose, perhaps because my uncle once served as the Archbishop of Constance."
On the way back, Lothar gave instructions to Ryan and Moder: "We now have a base of operations and can begin training new troops. Ryan, Moder, this task is now yours. Remember, use our seven... no, six male subjects as the core." He lowered his voice. "You can observe Tuval further. If he truly isn't cut out for it, then give up on him; let him be a farmer. The standard for selecting soldiers is not based on anything else but talent."
He didn't care about the pilgrims' physical condition, because there was simply no need. Apart from malnutrition, those who could make the arduous trek to the Holy Land were all fundamentally robust. Even if they were currently rather thin, once they could eat their fill regularly and recuperate for a while, they would recover. He also didn't care about loyalty. Without resorting to certain anachronistic ideologies to win the army's hearts, absolute loyalty was simply impossible. And the faith, laws, and moral norms of this era were already sufficient to ensure that this army, forged by his own hand, possessed loyalty above the standard line.
Lothar emphasized, "Those who are illiterate can at most become minor officers. Prioritize Germans, otherwise, if there's a language barrier, there's no point even talking about combat effectiveness." Jerusalem lacked many things, but not unemployed pilgrims. The pool for him to select from was vast.
"We must act first. Tomorrow, put up the recruitment signs for pilgrim soldiers, because the Kingdom also intends to arm pilgrims to defend the Holy Land. We must pick out the best among them. Remember, as I said, make grand promises." Lothar paused, then said with some helplessness, "Our family's foundation is still thin; we can't offer very good conditions, so we can only make promises."
Ryan and Moder both nodded repeatedly; they both understood the meaning of "making grand promises." However, they interpreted it as actual commitments.
"As for numbers, set the limit at fifty. Everyone must be armored, whether it's leather armor, lamellar, or scale armor. In addition, each man must be equipped with a leather-covered shield and a long spear with a fine iron head. When procuring these military supplies, you can find Andreas, who used to be a knight's personal manservant. He attended church school for two years and is also skilled at dealing with those cunning merchants."
Count Werner had only armed a hundred soldiers in total, and he was a full Count. Lothar didn't intend to aim too high; fifty was more than enough. This was already an armed force that most knights could not possess.
"Hans and I will be invited to Baron Godfrey's fief for some time. These matters will be entirely your responsibility. Make sure you handle this well." Lothar paused, then made another promise: "If this matter is handled properly, you will each command a contingent of soldiers and serve as officers."
Both men immediately showed excited expressions. "We will definitely not betray Milord's trust!"
Lothar nodded slightly, frowning as he tried to think if there was anything he had overlooked that he needed to instruct these two about. For this foray deep into enemy territory, he only planned to bring the four retainers produced by the system. He said four because he hadn't yet had a chance to use the new card draw opportunity he had just obtained.
"Oh, right. When I get back, I'll teach you some simple troop drilling methods, focusing on making the soldiers strictly obey orders. You can decide whether to adopt them based on your own experience." He decided to teach them methods akin to modern military basic training; formation drills were always effective for reinforcing army discipline, regardless of the era.