After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

As July arrives, the Northern Territory welcomes summer.

Compared to the scorching temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius in my previous life, summers in the Northern Territory are cool and pleasant. However, standing under the sun, it's still hot.

Oswald stood at the city gate, wearing a straw hat and looking up at the sky, followed by a large group of workers who had recently gained weight, as well as residents who had come to watch.

Today, the first cement road in northern China officially started construction.

Oswald swung a wooden hammer the size of a millstone and slammed it heavily on the ground, causing everyone's bellies to jiggle.

"First, tamp the soil down, you know? You have to compact the soil firmly."

The road from Bingcheng to Kuogucheng was not straight to begin with; it was full of potholes and became very muddy when it rained, with some sections being less than two meters wide.

Therefore, Oswald plans to first build a six-meter-wide cement road here, which will facilitate military operations and provide convenience for the residents' production and daily life.

In the future, numerous villages will spring up on the vast land between the military camp of Kuogu City and the capital city of Bingcheng.

However, the current population size in the Northern Territory is insufficient, which is slowing down the process.

On the one hand, Oswald hoped that the residents would have more children (the dragon slayer eventually becomes the dragon himself, and he never expected that he would one day join the ranks of those urging people to have children). On the other hand, Oswald wanted to relocate (plunder) people to other parts of the kingdom.

So, after tamping down a few more meters of soil, Oswald, with a hint of worry, said to Jenny, who was standing aside watching the commotion, "Minister of Health, the problem of infertility needs to be taken seriously."

Jenny... What is the Duke thinking about every day? Why did he suddenly think about infertility from road construction?

After the soil became compacted, Oswald began to carefully fill in the gravel.

With the Duke personally demonstrating and combining the theoretical knowledge they had learned from the alchemist for nearly half a month, the workers began their work and got to work with great enthusiasm.

"The more physically demanding the work, the more you need to take care of your health. In the scorching sun, remember to stay hydrated and avoid heatstroke."

Seeing that they were doing a good job, Oswald straightened his slightly sore back half an hour later. His health had improved recently, but not much, and he was not suitable for long periods of physical labor.

Arriving under the shade of a tree, Oswald took a sip of water from the water jug ​​handed to him by Jenny, and then took off his straw hat to fan himself.

"I've heard that elves possess many medical skills that have been lost to humankind. I recently wrote a book, and in a couple of days, the nun will arrange for someone to use this book to exchange for several more medical texts from the elves."

"May I ask what His Excellency the Duke wrote?" For some reason, Jennifer suddenly had a bad feeling.

It's a good thing that the Duke values ​​their medical department, and it's even better that they've obtained the lost medical books.

However... judging from the anecdotes about the Duke circulating among the people, it seems that most of the Duke's literary works are not very serious.

"They're just fictional myths." Oswald smiled faintly. Anyway, the nun wouldn't understand ancient Greece, so he wouldn't explain it here.

Jenny pinched her fingernails, took a deep breath, and thought, "Here it comes, the Duke's myth is back again."

Was it a succubus who seduced the bishop this time, or did the bishop build a harem in the goblin's lair? Or was it a past affair between the old priest and the paladin commander?

"Your Grace, you should focus more on governing the territory."

"I hope so too, but the great war has just begun, and I can't stay in the Duke's mansion forever. The people are the ones who govern, Sister. Even if I'm not here, as long as the territory policy remains unchanged, the Northern Territory will naturally continue to function stably."

Looking at the workers diligently repairing the road, Oswald's eyes deepened.

Jennifer was surprised. "The Duke intends to lead the army himself? But what about your health?"

As one of only two people who knew about the Duke's health condition, Janice should have tried her best to dissuade him from going to the battlefield again, but she also knew that only if the Duke himself came could the war be brought to a successful conclusion.

"If we don't use strong measures to deter those who think they're so great, we won't have time to develop." Oswald turned his head and looked at the cavalry that were rolling in from afar like dark clouds over a flat hill.

The outline of the Ice City came into Rondo's view, and he was excited and thrilled!

He never dreamed that in his lifetime he would have the chance to fight the king.

I'm so touched, so incredibly touched. Another childhood dream of mine has come true.

He had seen the new army in Kuogu City and found it to be a formidable force comparable to elite troops. Although the number of cavalry was far from sufficient, they were not incapable of fighting the Central Army if they could seize the advantage of terrain!

At that time, with Rondo holding the bow and the Duke wielding the spear, who in the world would dare to challenge him!

The only troublesome point was that after defeating the central army, he had to rush to the Duke's side immediately and, before the civil officials, utter that famous line that would be remembered for ages.

"Having won this battle, the Duke should declare himself Emperor to demonstrate his authority to the world!"

With a heart full of passion, Rondo paid no attention to the construction workers. He raised his whip and galloped off into the Ice City.

Oswald silently watched Rondo dash past him, a question mark slowly forming on his forehead.

Could he... be here to rebel?

After waiting for about ten minutes, Rondo, looking embarrassed, led his horse out of the city gate with his head down and bowed to Oswald.

"My lord, I have brought you a thousand elite cavalry."

Oswald suppressed a smile. "Yes, you must be tired from your journey, but the matter is urgent. After you rest, head east to help Luna with the work there."

Rondo's eyes widened immediately. "The East? Aren't things in the East being handled by a central government agency? What would I do there?"

He felt deceived. Weren't we supposed to be here to rebel? How did it turn into a campaign to quell a rebellion?

Moreover, the war among nobles in the east has already ended.

"Go over there and reorganize the surrendered troops. Select five thousand men and bring them back to Kuogu City for training. What, didn't Red give you a proper handover?"

Rondo scratched his head. Red did indeed ramble on and on, but once he heard that they might be going to fight the Central Army, he couldn't listen to anything else.

"Yes, I'll go right away." Rondo bowed again, turned around and grabbed the reins, looking somewhat dejected.

Oswald shook his head with a wry smile and called out to him, "Aren't you tired from coming all this way? Have some food before you leave."

Cold Lake City, situated on a broad, flat peninsula extending into the heart of the lake, is easily accessible and is governed by the Marquis of Southern Hughes of the Northern Territory. Several rivers flow into and out of the lake.

The soldiers of the Second Regiment walked along the main road to the lakeside and were stunned by the sight of the boundless, clear lake water shimmering with light, dotted with white sails, where the water and sky blended into one, and birds flew leisurely.

The scenery of various parts of the northern country that the veterans had described was now coming to life before their eyes.

From towering snow-capped mountains to vast forests, from the howling west wind to the surging tides of lakes, the world is close at hand, yet it highlights how insignificant humans are.

Urging the soldiers to continue their advance, Kate stared intently at the towering walls of Cold Lake City and the warships surrounding it, momentarily at a loss for words.

"My lord, Lenghu City may not be easy to attack."

Elena waved her hand, "No need to attack. Just raise the flag, and Marquis Hughes will come out to greet us."

Kate was taken aback, and after a long pause, she asked, "Should we fly the princess's flag or the duke's flag?"

"Naturally, it's the Duke." Elena glanced at the army carriages out of the corner of her eye and said softly, "From this moment on, the princess is useless."

"The Duke hasn't sent any letters these past few days. It must be because the capital hasn't made any moves to reconcile. The great war might break out again."

The major cities in the south have been completely cleared out by them. After the militia moved in, all companies of the Second Regiment quickly returned to their original positions.

Elena realized that cleaning up some remote towns at this point would only waste time.

"If the Central Army invades the Northern Territory, we will not have enough troops to hold our ground... We must quickly take down the Marquis's private army, then reorganize the army and go to Green Gorge City to garrison and set up defenses."

That makes sense, Kate said impatiently, biting her lip. "It's probably not going to be easy. How could the Marquis easily hand over his army?"

"So we have to take him with us to Green Canyon."

"What?"

Hearing Eleanor's nonchalant words, Kate was instantly stunned. He slapped himself across the face, almost thinking he was dreaming.

It's worth noting that the Marquis of Hughes' name was not on the list of nobles in the Southern Business District who colluded with the princess this time.

Moreover, the Marquis of Hughes held a high position of power and had never acted disloyally...

"Sometimes not taking sides is a form of taking sides; no one can stand on dry shore forever."

The army arrived at the city of Lenghu, and the Duke's banner was raised high.

A moment later, the city gates opened, and Marquis Hughes personally led his entourage out of the city to greet them.

Contrary to the soldiers' expectations, Marquis Hughes had an extremely ordinary face, was around thirty or forty years old, neither fat nor thin, neither tall nor short.

He had neither Oswald's distinctive "tiger-wolf" face nor the aura of a superior. He walked over like an ordinary person passing by.

Appearance is important in many professions, at least in Hughes' own view.

Handsome guy trying to play dumb to fool others?

My appearance is the perfect weapon to conquer the business world. Even if I pretend to be stupid and take advantage of someone once, it's not that they don't learn their lesson, it's that they can't remember my face! I guarantee that I can continue to swindle them in a few years, without changing my tricks at all.

"Miss Elene, welcome to Cold Lake City, along with the Duke's soldiers."

Hughes looked relaxed, just as he didn't care about the lives of the common people, he also didn't care about the lives of the nobles.

To reach Hughes's level of self-centeredness, one could say he has become the ultimate embodiment of aristocracy.

He had no ambition for higher power; to him, becoming a duke and spending every day dealing with the demon army was too much trouble.

The marquis's status is perfect, and the location in the commercial district is perfect too. You can ignore everything else and focus solely on pursuing wealth—it's practically the life of your dreams.

There's really nothing ordinary people can do about this ultimate being. He'll do things for you if you pay him, and he won't cause trouble if you don't pay him.

That's why Oswald said he was better suited to be a businessman than a marquis.

"If you're not in that position, you shouldn't concern yourself with its affairs." But if he were in that position, only wanting to enjoy the power and unwilling to bear the responsibilities, then Oswald would have to teach him a lesson he won't forget.

"You don't need to welcome us. This place will no longer be your Cold Lake City."

Elena stepped forward, her eyes slightly cold, and patted the scabbard at her waist.

The guards behind Marquis Hughes drew their swords, creating a tense atmosphere, and the mages simultaneously raised their staffs.

Even without Kate's order, the soldiers, lined up in neat rows, thrust their rifles forward in unison, their movements as one creating a powerful aura.

Hughes frowned. Even if there were a city fortifications, his private army would be no match for the Duke's new army.

"Lady Elene, what do you mean by this?"

"Your Excellency need not ask me. Once things are settled here, the Duke will summon you."