1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 236 Royal Reclamation Group
Constantinople on the Black Sea.

As the sun sets and it is evening, the flow of people gradually decreases, and the guards manning the Theodosian Walls can finally breathe a sigh of relief, no longer having to be disturbed by the bustling crowds like during the day.

Outside the gate of Charisius, the line of people waiting to enter the city gradually thinned out, the noise became weaker, and the guards on duty gathered in twos and threes, complaining about their hard work during the day and imagining the wine and delicacies in the evening.

Although Constantinople also implemented a curfew, the time was different from other cities, starting from early morning and ending at dawn.

That is to say, after the sun sets, citizens still have a long time to entertain and consume. Several districts along the Golden Horn have even built several lighthouses and developed night markets to enrich citizens' entertainment life.

At this time of year, the soldiers on duty are always very busy, catching thieves, mediating disputes, and guiding the crowds... If it weren't for the subsidies they could receive for working at night, I'm afraid no one would be willing to do this job.

The last peasant woman to enter the city walked into the city gate carrying two hens. Several soldiers looked at the empty road outside the city, then looked up at the setting sun, stretched themselves, and prepared to close the city gate.

"Captain, look, it seems like another carriage is coming."

A young guard tugged at the captain's sleeve and pointed to the end of the road.

The captain was chatting with his deputy beside him, and glanced at the carriage with a look of annoyance.

"Never mind. Half of the city gates are closed. Let him go to other gates. The gates in the south close later."

"Captain, that looks like a royal carriage, with the emblem of the Palaiologos family painted on it."

Upon hearing this, the captain turned his gaze towards the approaching carriage and looked at it carefully.

"It's probably a branch of the Palaiolo family, and one of the poorer ones, otherwise they wouldn't use such an old carriage."

Looking up at the sky again, most of the sunset had sunk into the sea level, leaving only a small half of the dark red sun.

"Just open the door, and count it their luck."

The captain waved reluctantly.

Several guards who were about to finish their work stood still with grim expressions on their faces.

"Open them! Although they are only a remote branch, they still have the opportunity to contact the emperor. I am not afraid of them, but I don't want the higher-ups to know that we are slacking off!"

the captain yelled.

The gate slowly opened and the carriage slowly stopped. The captain saw the emblem on the body of the carriage and a hint of sarcasm appeared at the corner of his mouth.

According to the latest heraldry law promulgated by the empire, only the current emperor can use the golden and red double-headed eagle emblem. His immediate family members are eligible to use the double-headed eagle pattern, but they must add their own elements to distinguish themselves.

The more distant branches of the Palaiologos can only use the family emblem of a golden red cross with four betas. They often add some of their own patterns to the family emblem to make it easier for others to distinguish it.

"What is this? A rat?"

The captain switched to Serbian and looked at his deputy beside him with a smile.

"I don't know. I've been a guard here for eight years, from the City Guard to the Shooting Army. I've met many important people, but I've never met anyone who uses a mouse as a family emblem."

The older deputy also smiled and shook his head, speaking in Serbian.

The captain waved his hand and several guards came forward to conduct a routine inspection.

"It's no wonder they're poor if they use something like this as their family emblem."

The captain raised an eyebrow.

"Prince Justinian used blood and fire, Prince Manuel used olive spikes, Archduke Thomas used the Barbary lion, Count Lemnius used the elephant, and Theophilus used the oak tree."

"When they entered the city, with flags flying and people following them, it was much more impressive than this."

"He is probably just a small landowner in the countryside. He probably couldn't make a living out there, so he came to Constantinople to make a living."

The captain curled his lips in disdain.

"Strangely enough, quite a few nobles from remote areas have returned recently, not just those from the Palaiologos family, but also many from Notaras, Sfrangis, Komnenos, Cantacuzenus and Angelos."

The deputy thought about it, but couldn't make any conclusion, so he shook his head.

A young man opened the curtain and jumped down from the carriage. He had a friendly smile on his face and a traditional sword on his waist. He was dressed very simply but very cleanly.

"Hello, sir. I'm sorry to trouble you. Here is my ID and entry permit."

When the captain and his deputy saw the young man get off the car, they immediately put on a stereotyped smile, took his ID and entry permit, and looked at them left and right.

"Marinos Palaiologos, 25 years old, lives in the village of Edmont in Thessaly. He owns a small manor and a small mill. His ancestors can be traced back to Emperor Michael VIII's brother, John Palaiologos."

The captain showed a strange smile at the corner of his mouth, bowed slightly, and returned the document to Marinos.

"What a remarkable close relative, Lord Marinos."

Marinos still maintained his friendly smile, said nothing, and took his identification documents.

The captain opened the entry permit again and took a look. All the procedures were complete and there were no omissions.

"Sir, can I enter the city?"

Malinos asked.

"As far as I know, several villages in Thessaly have been hit by floods, and Edmont seems to be one of them. Why did you go to Constantinople instead of managing your own land?"

The captain smiled and handed the entry permit to Marinos.

Marinos's expression froze for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal.

"I have been invited. As to who invited me and what I am going to do, it seems that this has nothing to do with you, right?"

"Then hurry up, the city gate will be closed soon."

The deputy pulled the captain and smiled at Malinos.

Malinos turned to his deputy, nodded kindly, and walked towards the carriage.

"Why do you have to make things difficult for him?"

The deputy frowned, looked at the captain, and asked in Serbian.

"There are too many outsiders coming to Constantinople lately, and I just don't like them. What's wrong?"

The captain snorted unhappily.

"They took away our jobs and occupied our land. In the last election for captain, if my mother hadn't had some connection with the Sfrangis family, the position would have been taken away by that Russian barbarian!"

"This is our place. They haven't made any contribution to the development of the city. Why are they here? Just because the emperor likes them?"

"You know, even the emperor can't do whatever he wants. In the entire empire, the citizens of Constantinople have a high status. Only we can give advice to the emperor. This is the most ancient privilege!"

"Okay, shut up!"

The deputy quickly covered the captain's mouth.

"Aren't you afraid that this will reach the emperor's ears?"

"What are you afraid of? His Majesty Isaac is the best emperor in history. He won't blame me just because I said a few words."

"Every year, several councillors in Constantinople have been opposing continued immigration, and Your Majesty has never blamed them."

The captain shook his head disapprovingly.

"I really don't know how to describe you guys. You obviously love His Majesty very much, but you just want to oppose his policies."

The deputy shook his head and smiled wryly.

"Alas, your Majesty is good in everything, but it would be better if he was less dictatorial and listened more to our suggestions."

"However, compared to several previous emperors, he at least allowed us to express our opinions freely, although he never listened."

The captain sighed.

Marinos was about to get in the car, but after thinking for a moment, he turned around.

"My Lords, although I am a country boy, I have been educated and can understand Serbian."

Marinos said.

"Oh? Then why don't you tell me which law we broke?"

The captain raised an eyebrow.

"That's not the case. What I mean is that His Majesty Constantine has been in a bad mood recently and probably doesn't want to hear your remarks."

"If he were still in power, you wouldn't dare to say such things so blatantly, right?"

The captain shrank his head and remained silent.

"Thank you for your warning, sir. We will pay attention to it."

The deputy bowed quickly to express his gratitude.

"There will be a circus performance in the city tonight, and a reception to celebrate Bulgaria's victory. If you hurry there now, you should be in time."

"Thank you, I'll go if I have time."

Marinos smiled and got on the carriage.

"By the way, there's one more thing."

Marinos pointed to the emblem on the body of the car.

"This is not a mouse, this is a beaver, a specialty of my hometown, representing hard work and tenacity."

After saying this, Marinos pulled down the curtain, the carriage started, and drove away.

"Brother, they are so infuriating! They don't even take us seriously!"

Inside the cabin, a young girl glared at Marinos angrily.

"Okay, Selina, it's just a common thing. After my father passed away, our family fell into poverty. Have we not suffered enough discrimination and prejudice?"

Malinos patted Selina's head lovingly.

Selina was still angry and slapped her brother's hand away.

"If you ask me, we shouldn't have come to Constantinople. We have no titles, no titles, and little land. Why should we mix with those nobles? Isn't it better to be a small landowner at home?"

"The village was hit by a flood and the land was submerged. You insisted on distributing our stored grain to other villagers. We don't have much food left. If we don't find a way to make money, I'm afraid we won't be able to make it through the next harvest. We can only sell what we have at home."

"I didn't want to sell it, but I happened to be invited, so I came here to try my luck."

"Moreover, the latest decree has been issued. The original tax exemption privileges for us royal children may be completely abolished. Not only that, our children will have to pay a lot of taxes if they want to inherit the land."

Malinos' tone was somewhat melancholy.

Selina fell silent when she heard this.

"Sorry...Brother, I just want to save more people..."

"It's okay. I don't blame you. If my mother were still alive, she would do the same."

Marinos cupped his sister's face and kissed her forehead gently.

"But...why don't officials come to distribute relief?"

Selina asked.

"It's not that they don't want to provide disaster relief, but now they are using work-for-relief. Villagers can certainly work in exchange for food, but many people are unwilling to do it."

"They are all from the village. They have a fear and unfamiliarity with the city. They are unwilling to leave their hometown unless they have no other choice."

"If you don't save them, they may be forced to go to the city to work after a while."

"I'm sorry, brother. I was reckless. I should have waited for you to come back..."

Selina whispered.

"But don't we still have the mill? With the income from the mill, we should be able to survive for a while, right?"

"The mill..."

Marinos smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"You usually study at home and may know little about the outside world, but now it is different than before."

"A new mill area has been built on the outskirts of Larissa, using the most advanced technology to drive the stone mill. Their large windmills are not much smaller than our houses. They are highly efficient, have a high flour yield, and produce high-quality products. When there is no wind, they can also use hydraulic wheels for processing."

"It was built by Dutch engineers. It's very good."

Marinos' eyes were full of envy.

"Every time there was a good harvest, government officials and business union staff would go to nearby villages, buy wheat in bulk, send it to the mill area, grind it into flour, and use different filters to filter out coarse and fine flour. The coarse flour was sold back to the countryside, and the fine flour was sold to nobles and wealthy merchants."

"Don't underestimate flour. It is a bulk commodity. After industrialization, the profit will be very high."

"Isn't this cheating? How could they do this?"

Selina said angrily.

"What are you cheating about? The purchase price they give to farmers is much higher than before, and they also welcome strong farmers to work in the mill area during the slack season. The worst coarse flour in the mill area is better than the flour ground by the countryside. Everyone is very happy."

"Northern Italy has already walked this path once, and now it's our turn."

Malinos sighed again.

"I'm afraid no one will come to our little mill in the future."

Selina's expression dimmed a little, and then she seemed to remember something and looked at her brother again.

"Brother, didn't father leave us some emergency funds before he passed away? It was for us to use when we get married. Do we still have it now?"

Marinos was silent for a moment, then spoke with difficulty.

"Selina, blame me if you want to. I spent the money."

"A few years ago, your Majesty's exploratory fleet headed east to search for the rich India. Lord Dias raised funds from nobles and merchants, but I lost my mind and threw all my money into it."

"I thought they would return soon with a ship full of spices, but there has been no response until now. I guess they failed."

Marinos lowered his brows and fell into deep self-blame.

Selina sighed and gently stroked her brother's hair.

"It's okay. After all, we are royal relatives. Maybe we can find a way out by going to Constantinople this time."

Marinos perked up a little, opened the curtain and looked out the window.

Carriages traveled through the most prosperous neighborhoods of Constantinople. Luxurious carriages with proud family crests flying around sped through the streets.

"Look, the one with the oak tree on the coat of arms is the carriage of Theophilus. He is also our cousin, but he is much better off than us. He and his two sons are officials and have a lot of land in Northumbria."

"Look, that's Count Limnios's carriage. He was a convicted criminal who went to New Thrace to explore. He got lucky and established himself. He made a lot of money from the fur and ivory trade, and that's why he added the elephant to his family emblem."

"However, it seems that he cannot stay in Constantinople for long. The person in the car should be his son."

Marinos pointed at the carriages on the roadside and explained them to his sister one by one.

"That is Lord Li Ximeier's carriage. He is of the same generation as us. He originally served as an official under the Minister of Agriculture for a period of time. Later, he had some insights and went out to start his own business. At the suggestion of Your Majesty, he founded the first fertilizer factory in our empire."

"The fertilizer they produce is very good. I only know that the raw materials contain feces, lime and volcanic soil, and the specific process is kept secret."

"Their fertilizers are of considerable value and are mainly used for precious crops, such as rare flowers. Ordinary food crops can only use simple fermented local fertilizers."

Malinos rubbed his head.

"However, since he added volcanoes to the family crest, volcanic soil must be the most important raw material."

"They also have a lot of tax-free land, all granted by several previous emperors, in Thrace and Morea, and they have made a lot of money from it."

"Without military merit, there is no knighthood, so no matter how rich he is, he is only an honorary knight. This gentleman has been upset about this for a long time."

"Brother, there are so many royal children. Why are they all gathered in Constantinople?"

Selina looked at the bustling night scene of the Golden Horn with longing on her face, and pointed at the carriages with the Palaiologos Red Cross flags coming and going on the street.

A high-end carriage is usually pulled by several strong horses, running very fast on a flat road, and soon leaving Malinois behind.

"Yeah, I guess they were all invited." Marinos pursed his lips tightly as he watched the luxurious carriages disappear at the end of his sight.

"Perhaps in this big family, our family is the most destitute."

Selina comforted him again, and the two chatted for a while. The carriage continued to move forward, and soon arrived in front of a luxurious manor.

The two men got off the carriage. The butler was waiting at the door and took the invitation handed to him by Marinos.

"Lord Marinos, Miss Selina, I am waiting for you. Please follow me. Your coachman will also be well treated."

"Thank you very much."

Marinos nodded, and followed the butler with his sister, passing through the corridors with carved beams and painted buildings, and entered the brightly lit hall.

The place was already full of people, all of them were descendants of the Palaiologos royal family. The men sat around several long square tables chatting, while the women were taken to another room.

"Ms. Selina, please follow me. You can enjoy some food and drinks while you wait for the meeting to end."

The butler turned around and looked at the two of them.

"Lord Marinos, your place is there."

Marinos nodded, hugged his sister, and walked to the last seat.

The arrival of the brother and sister did not attract any attention at all. Occasionally, a few elders glanced at Marinos and nodded to him as a greeting.

Marinos quietly sat down in his seat, pricked up his ears and listened quietly.

"Were you also invited to attend the meeting?"

Marinos turned his head and saw the fat boy sitting next to him.

The fat boy's clothes were rather simple, but the ring on his hand was obviously an ancient item. He was using both hands to devour the food in front of him.

"Yes, my name is Marinus and I live in Thessaly."

"Hello, I am Marcian, a descendant of Emperor Michael, and I live in Mystras."

Marcian swallowed the food in his mouth, stretched out his greasy right hand, thought for a moment, and then retracted it awkwardly.

"Marcian? Such an ancient name."

Marinos handed over a handkerchief and said with a smile.

"Yes, my father is an ancient enthusiast. He exchanged all the land in our family for ancient artifacts, and he gave me this name."

"When my grandfather was alive, the family had dozens of tenants and a lot of land, cattle and sheep. But when it came to me, there were only two small manors, an old housekeeper, and a house full of ancient things."

Marcian chuckled, but there was not much pain on his face.

"Eat it! These are all good things. We can't eat them normally!"

Marcian grabbed a spiced leg of lamb and held it out to Marinos.

"Thank you, you can eat it, I'm not hungry."

Marinos declined politely and looked around.

"Don't look at us. We are all poor royal descendants at this table. The big shots are all in the front."

Marcian gnawed on a leg of lamb and nodded at the most luxurious square table in front of him.

"The Paleologian family has a history of several hundred years and has many descendants, but only a few of them are relatively well-known."

As he was speaking, the quarrel ahead suddenly became louder.

"What are they arguing about?"

Malinos asked.

"It's all about tax privileges. His Majesty seems to want to impose restrictions on the big landowners, and the first blow is aimed at us."

Marcian pouted.

"Then there is the Royal Reclamation Group. His Majesty does not want the royal family to sit around and wait for death. He wants us to take the lead in forming a reclamation group to reclaim land in the lower Danube plain and the Maritsa River plain and build towns and villages."

Marinos nodded, saying nothing, and listened to their argument.

"Your Majesty, do you want us to farm?"

A young man in fancy clothes threw the bottle to the ground and stood up angrily.

"That's Baron George. It seems his great-grandfather was the illegitimate son of Andronicus III. His father spent all his family wealth in the Battle of Constantinople to form a private army. His Majesty, in recognition of their achievements, conferred the title of baron to their family."

"His father was very good at making money. He made a lot of money by using the tax reduction privileges granted by His Majesty Ioannis and His Majesty Constantine. He inherited land and shops in Constantinople."

Marcian explained quietly to Malinos.

"George, keep your voice down!"

Theophilus, who was presiding over the meeting, frowned.

"It's not just us. All the big families have received the call. His Majesty wants us to set an example."

"Uncle Theophilus, I know all this, but I still can't figure it out."

George's voice dropped slightly.

"Farming? What kind of land? Is that the land that people like us should farm?"

"You say we don't work. Ever since Emperor Michael recaptured Constantinople, my grandfather and my father have shed blood and fought for the empire."

"My father sold all his property for the Battle of Constantinople, brought his own food to the top of the city, and ended up with a lifelong disability!"

"Otherwise, why would he die so early?"

"They have already done my work for me!"

"Forget about asking me to farm with the farmers!"

George waved his sleeves and sat back in his seat angrily.

"George said it well. His Majesty Isaac is unwilling to give us too much land, unwilling to give us any titles, and just relies on the tax reduction privileges granted by several previous emperors to make a little money to supplement the family income. Is this a rebellious act?"

Another middle-aged man in gorgeous clothes took over the conversation, and Marinos recognized him as Lord Lishimel, who started his business with a fertilizer factory.

"Who on earth gave the emperor such an idea? If I knew, I would kill him!"

As he was speaking, the door suddenly opened and Alexios walked in fully armed, followed by the fully armed Varangian Guards.

"This plan was proposed by my father himself. What do you think?"

Alexius looked at the broken glass on the ground, then looked at Baron George.

"Your Highness Alexius, you are here."

Theophilus stood up and bowed to Alexios with a smile.

The members of the royal family suddenly woke up as if from their dream, and they all stood up and bowed.

"Please take a seat. I am here this time to discuss the tax reduction privileges and the Royal Reclamation Corps."

Alexius also bowed slightly.

"Before we begin, I have something I want to ask you all."

Alexius looked around.

"In your opinion, what is a true noble and what is a true knight?"

No one answered.

"In my opinion, whether a noble is qualified or not is never judged by how much wealth he has, how much land he owns, or what kind of clothes he wears."

"A true nobleman will always be at the forefront of the battlefield, will always draw his sword to help civilians in distress, and will always stand up when the country needs him."

“We enjoy more rights and are respected than others, so we should naturally bear more responsibilities than others.”

“This is the mission God has given us, this is what the twelve disciples taught us, and this is what the Senate and the Roman people expect of us.”

"Anyone who is selfish, oppresses the people, and disregards the country, no matter how noble his bloodline is, no matter how bright his clothes are, I'm frank, he can't be called a true noble."

Alexius looked around, half of his face covered by a visor, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

"As far as I know, a large number of you have received tax reduction and exemption privileges granted by the previous emperor. You have used these privileges to seize land, suppress competitors, and make huge profits for yourself."

"Whenever the village is hit by disasters and shops go bankrupt, you are most happy, because you can collect wealth at very low prices and pass it on to your children and grandchildren, generation after generation."

"Some people, in order to amass wealth, do whatever it takes and ignore even basic moral sentiments."

Alexius' tone was filled with disgust.

"Normally, the Imperial Inspectors would not dare to control you, but I can clearly say that those days are gone forever."

"Rather than being a punishment, this Royal Reclamation Group is an opportunity given to you by your father."

"Your Highness, you might as well explain it clearly. What exactly is this Royal Reclamation Group?"

Lord Li Ximeier saw that no one spoke, so he asked with gritted teeth.

Alexius was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly.

"Not long ago, John IV, Duke of Parma, and Thomas, Grand Duke of Constantina, passed away due to illness. My grandfather was very sad and ordered an investigation of all the royal children. His original intention was to provide assistance to those uncles and brothers whose families had fallen on hard times."

"Later, at the suggestion of my father, a campaign to investigate the major wealthy families in the empire was officially launched. This investigation actually allowed us to find out a lot of things."

Alexius waved his hand, and a captain of the Varangian Guard threw a thick stack of documents on the table.

"This stack of documents contains all the cases that have been piled up over the past twenty years. But don't worry, my father has never read them."

All the princes and nobles present breathed a sigh of relief, as their private dealings could never be made public.

"I know that many things have been laid out long ago. I am well aware that some people's lands and privileges were even granted by Emperor Michael himself, and my father is not prepared to completely abolish them."

"Your Highness, what exactly is His Majesty going to do?"

Theophilus asked.

He can now be regarded as the leader of the royal family's side branch. As an important official, he does not need to violate the law, but his family is also huge, and it is inevitable that some people will take advantage of the power of others and cause trouble.

"With great power comes great responsibility. You may enjoy the privilege of tax exemptions and reductions, but you must fulfill your noble responsibilities."

Alexius said.

"In short, you need to go to Bulgaria to immigrate and reclaim wasteland. Every year, a specialist will assess your work performance. The better you do, the more privileges you will retain."

"Royal children from less well-off families can also take this opportunity to fully enjoy public resources and improve their living conditions."

"Later, Anatolia, the Levant, and even Egypt will all adopt the same method to carry out immigration and land reclamation, with the royal family taking the lead, and the rest of the wealthy families following behind us."

"If you don't want to go, all your privileges will be abolished, and if your children want to inherit your property, they will have to pay three-quarters of the inheritance tax first."

When the nobles heard this, they fell silent.

"Your Highness, it's not that we don't want to go, but Bulgaria has just been recovered, and the city of Sofia has not even been captured. Those Turks and Cumans——"

"Li Ximeier, you don't have to worry about this."

Alexius shook his head.

"The Turks are no longer a threat. The Cumans have looted almost all of western and northern Bulgaria. They have had enough and are retreating to the Kingdom of Hungary."

"The people's livelihood in Bulgaria is in decline now. There are less than 600,000 people left in such a large area. Large tracts of land have become barren and no one is cultivating the good farmland. This is a good opportunity for us."

"You don't have to plow the land yourself. You just need to use your influence and appeal to lead the people and serfs to go there. Father will provide you with tools, livestock and serfs at low prices."

"In order to prevent the northern enemy from moving south, the Royal Reclamation Corps must also organize militias, train in their spare time, and guard the border."

Alexios paused.

"Think about it, when the royal family and nobles are heading to the border, what reason do the common people have for not following us?"

"Your Highness, as far as I know, although the land along the Danube is fertile, there are many swamps and wetlands, and there are floods every spring. It is not so easy to cultivate!"

Sir George demurred.

"You don't have to worry about this. Father has already started to work on this problem. Each of your families will send a male to follow me to the northern border for preliminary investigation."

Alexius said.

"Haha, Your Highness, this matter is serious. I must think about it carefully before giving you an answer."

Baron George bowed slightly and prepared to leave.

Zheng——

Alexius drew his sword and held it across the doorway.

"I will personally lead the Royal Reclamation Corps. My mother gave me two thousand ducats and my brother gave me one thousand ducats. I have used all the money to recruit refugees and buy livestock and tools."

"From now on, the royal family will guard the country's gates, the nobles will guard the borders, and when foreign enemies invade, the common people will retreat. I will step forward, and you will follow behind me. If I dare to retreat, anyone can kill me."

Alexius glared at Baron George fiercely.

"Today, everyone here must give me an answer. Either accept or reject. There is no third way!"

The Varangian Guard roared, swung his axe, and smashed it hard on the ground, knocking over the luxurious wine bottles on the table.

Everyone was shocked by Alexius' sudden attack, and Baron George stood there in a daze, unable to move forward or backward.

"Uncle Theophilus, what do you think?"

Alexios looked towards Theophilus.

Theophilus was silent for a while, then spoke slowly.

"Your Highness has high morals and the style of an ancient noble. Since you are willing to lead by example, why should we refuse?"

"I am willing to join the Royal Reclamation Corps. My second son will lead the team and follow in your footsteps!"

"Your Highness, serving the country is a noble virtue. Although I, Marinos, have no talent, I am still willing to follow you and join the Royal Reclamation Corps!"

Marinos stood up and spoke loudly.

"I'd like to join!"

"I am old, and my brother will follow in your footsteps!"

……

As soon as Theophilus spoke, the others responded one after another. For a moment, only Baron George and Lord Lishimel were left in the room without saying a word.

Everyone's eyes were focused on the two of them. Lord Li Ximei sighed softly and looked at Alexius.

"Your Highness, if the empire needs me, I have no choice but to join."

Alexius nodded and looked at Baron George.

"I am willing to join. My eldest son will lead the team. I hope Your Highness will treat him well for the sake of our common clan."

George bowed and whispered.

Alexius retracted his sword and breathed a sigh of relief, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

"Very good. On behalf of the civilians, thank you all."

"Everyone, please take a rest for the night. Once the reclamation teams of other wealthy families are formed, we will set out together."

Alexius said, picked up the thick files and threw them all into the fire.

The documents turned to ashes in the flames, and Alexius walked away, followed by the Varangian Guards.

A breeze blew by, leaving only leftovers and a mess of cups and plates on the table.

(End of this chapter)