This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

After a group of troublemakers were severely punished, the remaining monkeys did become much more obedient. However, some were genuinely repentant, while others remained incorrigible, not believing they had done anything wrong, and instead harboring resentment towards Dick.

But they were afraid of Dick's iron fist and dared not openly rebel. They could only carefully hide their resentment, hoping for the day when they could retaliate.

These people would often come to the river hollow to drink, gamble, and visit prostitutes, reminiscing about their "glorious days" in this morally bankrupt place, while also complaining about Dick to vent their dissatisfaction.

“This is unbearable! I’ve served four governors, and none of them were as ruthless to their subordinates as that little bastard. What’s worse, he even puts those whores he keeps in official positions, riding roughshod over us brothers. What man can tolerate that?”

"That's right, that's right! I was in the city guard when that brat Tia came to give me a lecture today, saying she wanted to reorganize the guard and establish some kind of police force. Isn't that just nonsense?!"

"Sigh! Just keep putting up with it. What can you do when he's the Duke's son? But in my opinion, he won't be able to cause trouble for much longer. He went back to the capital last month. If the Duke finds out that he's made such a mess of Laguge, he might replace him."

"I really miss Lord David. If he were still here, we brothers wouldn't have to suffer this injustice."

Several people complained one after another. If you only listened to what they said, it seemed that Laguge was in a state of disorder and disunity, a complete picture of a doomed country where people were suffering.

At that moment, a burly man with a rugged face entered the tavern and went straight to their table to sit down. Upon seeing him, the others immediately adopted respectful and ingratiating expressions, and hurriedly offered him drinks.

"Brother Nero, you've arrived!"

"Yes, I met up with a few old friends and we talked about some things."

The burly man called Nero took a swig of wine, feigning composure, and then said in a low voice.

"Gentlemen, wouldn't you like to go back to the good old days?"

"I want to! I dream about it!"

"Brother Nero, have you found a way out?"

Seeing that the eyes of the people present had lit up, Nero continued with a sinister smile.

"There's no need to look for a way out. We'll stay here in Lagug and not go anywhere else. Gentlemen, you may not know this, but that little bastard Dick is no longer the governor."

"He...he's been taken down? Really?"

"It's absolutely true, and the news from the capital goes beyond that. Even the lord has changed, and he's been given the title of a newly appointed earl. This place will no longer belong to Earl Best."

Upon hearing the "good news" brought by Nero, everyone showed expressions of disbelief. Nero didn't waste any words and instead took out a magical communication letter.

Nero explained that the message had been sent a week earlier. Because magical communications are affected by the moon, more information can be transmitted during a full moon and less during a new moon. Therefore, the message was only a few sentences long, but it contained a lot of information.

The governor is dismissed from all his posts, his fiefdoms are transferred, and a new earl is about to arrive.

"You all don't know, as soon as the news reached the governor's mansion, it was intercepted by those bitches, and then they secretly transferred the governor's mansion's treasury. Every night, carriages are coming and going through the back gate of the castle. Does this situation seem familiar to you? Isn't it just like when Lord David left office?"

"Then we just need to wait for the new lord, right?"

"Fool! This is an opportunity, don't you understand? Those women are that little bastard Dick's people. Why would they keep this a secret? And why would they secretly transfer money? Because this money in the governor's treasury is public funds, and the governor has no right to embezzle it. If we can stop those women, when the new lord arrives, this will be a great achievement! Who knows, we might even become knights!"

"But can we manage with just a few of us? Those two female knights in the private army are said to be high-ranking warriors. They could cut us down like butter."

"You can rest assured about that. It's not just us who want to make a name for ourselves. Your big brother has already contacted reliable allies. When the time comes, we'll all work together, and the opportunity to rise to the top will be right in front of us. How about it? You can't beat us!"

Encouraged by Nero, the group looked at each other, and finally, seeing the small bag of gold coins that their leader deliberately showed off, they made up their minds.

Nero then told everyone that they had very limited time to act. The most elite cavalry of his private army had gone south with the two female knights, while Knight John was leading the main infantry force on a training exercise in the western mountains. Therefore, the castle's defenses were currently very weak, and all the factors that were favorable to them had come together, making it a golden opportunity.

Nero had previously visited several "old friends" to coordinate their plans, intending to launch a surprise attack later that night.

To incite these people to fight alongside him, Nero revealed that he and the other organizers had already discussed the matter: once they stormed the castle, none of Dick's confidants would be allowed to see the sun the next day. However, before sunrise, everyone could vent their anger in their own way.

In addition, these hardworking and meritorious officials could also take a small share of the Governor's Treasury.

Anyway, they'll just say it was moved afterwards; the dead can't defend themselves.

Nero then gave a few more instructions and told everyone to go home and make preparations, and to meet in the back alley of the city guard post when it was dark and windy late at night.

A few men, swayed by Nero's rosy vision of the future, went home, equipped themselves with their hidden weapons, and headed to the meeting point when it was about time. When they arrived, they discovered that Nero had not been exaggerating; he had gathered at least a hundred men, including former guards like themselves and local thugs who had previously colluded with them.

Although these people exuded the aura of a mob of rabble, their sheer numbers still gave them some presence, and their banding together gave them a bit more confidence in the operation.

In fact, in the initial plan of Nero and other organizers, they also wanted to organize a riot in the labor camp, which would involve several thousand people, including many former bandits who had once roamed the mountains.

But precisely because there were too many people, the group worried that things would get out of control and end up in a bad situation, so they abandoned the dangerous idea.

Seeing that most of the people had arrived, Nero said a few words to the other organizers to boost morale, then led the group toward the castle.

The streets were quiet and dark. The group walked along the widened main road without torches, and did not encounter a single patrolling guard, which seemed to perfectly confirm the deduction that the city was poorly defended.

Soon, the rabble rushed to the castle gate. Seeing that the drawbridge was not lowered and the gate was wide open, Nero was overjoyed, secretly congratulating himself on the worth of money he had spent bribing the gatekeepers.

Seeing this, everyone immediately quickened their pace and ran, rushing across the drawbridge into the city, afraid that if they were a step slower than others, they would miss out on the good stuff.

After they had all passed through the archway, the drawbridge behind them slowly rose up.

Nero, who was at the forefront, naturally did not notice the noise behind him, because after the rabble he had organized broke through the city gate, they could no longer hold back. They lit the torches they had prepared in advance, drew their swords, and started shouting and yelling.

Many thugs have not received real military training, and the bad habits they have developed from street brawls make them feel that they are not brave enough if they don't shout a few times!

However, at that moment, a fire suddenly lit up the previously pitch-black city wall, and then a large number of soldiers holding crossbows stood up from behind the battlements and aimed at the rabble below.

Upon seeing this, Nero felt a buzzing in his brain and immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

Damn it, they've fallen for their trap!

Chapter 110: Absence Makes the Heart Blossom

"These are the work summary reports of the territory during your absence. Please take a look."

"Thank you for your hard work during this time, Belfast."

"It is my pleasure to serve you, my lord."

Inside the former governor's office, Dick, who had just returned to Lagug, was looking through the work summary report submitted by Belfast. It was a summary of various affairs within the territory over the past month, complete with rigorous data and clear trend charts.

In the list of important events, the "rebellion" of a few days ago is prominently listed.

The scale of this heinous incident was not small. The number of people directly involved in the rebellion and those implicated was more than four hundred. The rebels even stormed the castle, causing "very serious" damage, smashing six windows and burning down the stables in the drill ground. Fortunately, no one was injured or killed in the garrison, because the rebels surrendered very smoothly after realizing that they had been ambushed and surrounded.

Throughout the entire operation, Tia's intelligence organization "Forget-Me-Not" played a crucial role, achieving true complete control over everything, keeping track of the rebels' movements throughout, and making exceptionally swift arrests after the incident.

The rebellion occurred at midnight, and the masterminds behind it were all caught before dawn.

Of course! Upon closer examination, many of the key pieces of information obtained by the rebels were actually leaked intentionally by Tia, including that magical communication that contained not a single lie.

The governor was stripped of all his posts... Dick was no longer the governor; he had become a lord.

The fiefdom was changed... Ragug was indeed transferred to Dick.

The new Earl is about to arrive... Dick is indeed on his way back.

These are all absolutely true statements, but they can certainly lead people to misinterpret them.

As for the carriages that secretly left through the back gate of the castle in the middle of the night, they were not filled with gold and silver jewelry, but with boxes of corn and stones, which were sent directly to the new port in the north.

Influenced by these messages, the rebel organizers were convinced of their deduction of the "truth" and decided to take the risk and secretly connect with each other.

Tia is indeed suspected of entrapment, but who told the rebels to take the bait?

Dick looked at the list of rebels. Most of them were former officials from the David era. Because they had fewer scandals, they were retained in the early stages when manpower was scarce.

Dick gave them a chance to turn over a new leaf, but unfortunately they didn't know how to cherish it.

But it's all for the best now. They asked for trouble and got what they wanted. As the lord, Dick can hang all the rebels and no one will say anything to him.

Ironically, even at this moment, the rebels imprisoned still do not know that Dick is the "new lord" they have been eagerly awaiting, so some are crying out for justice and others are shouting.

Dick dealt with these people in the same way as before: the organizers executed them, and the followers were sent to labor camps.

This rebellion, which occurred in the dead of night, was nothing more than a farce for most people in Lagog to laugh about over tea. Dick enjoyed extremely high prestige among the common people, so when the governor's mansion was renamed the Earl's mansion and a proclamation was issued announcing that Dick had been officially conferred the title of Earl of Lagog, most people felt that this was a well-deserved and auspicious event.

Some well-meaning people even volunteered to have a bronze statue of Dick erected in the town square, but Dick politely declined.

When Dick returned to Lagug, it was already the end of October. Although the abnormal local climate had changed and returned to normal after the Winter God was able to sleep, it was still time for snow to fall.

Fortunately, this year the weather was favorable and there were no bandits, so the locals could farm with peace of mind. Thanks to corn and the newly built water conservancy facilities, they achieved an unprecedented bumper harvest. Every family had enough food to get through the winter, and the Earl's granary was piled high with corn.

With food in hand and peace of mind, Dick felt only one word in his heart—reassurance!

"Master, look, it's snowing outside."

Seeing that snowflakes had started falling outside the window, Belfast went to the window to admire the snow. Then, she turned her head and saw Dick staring intently at her, and a blush rose on her fair face.

As a perfect maid who devotes herself entirely to her master, the love from her master is the best reward for all her efforts, even if this love is not exclusively hers.

"What's wrong, Master?"

Belfast, I'm a little hungry.

"Then I'll go and make it for you right away..."

Before Belfast could finish speaking, the chain around her neck suddenly floated up, trying to fly towards Dick.

Seeing this, Belfast looked at the smiling Dick and immediately understood what he was hungry for. So Belfast followed the chain's gentle pull to Dick and bent down, and the chain naturally fell into Dick's hand.

The chain around Belfast's neck was a symbol of loyalty, and only those she approved of could touch it. Dick gently pulled the chain, then leaned in and kissed Belfast's red lips.

"It's been over a month since we last met, do you miss me?"

"I think about it all the time, it's driving me crazy."

While responding to Dick's kisses, Belfast poured out her heart, her curvaceous body kneeling before him, pressing her large breasts against his crotch. From Dick's perspective, all he could see was a vast expanse of alluring white skin and a bottomless cleavage. The milky white breasts appeared even fuller after being gently squeezed, making Dick regret that his hands were too small to fully grasp this magnificence.

Despite Belfast's usual confident and assertive demeanor at work, when she's intimate with Dick, she's more inclined to serve him.

Soon, in the otherwise serious office, inappropriate sucking sounds were heard, accompanied by Dick's pleasurable moans.

However, just as the master and servant were enjoying the atmosphere of being apart for a while, an untimely knock sounded on the office door.

Belfast heard the sound and quickly tried to stop serving, but Dick reached out and pressed her head down, then gestured under the desk. Belfast instantly understood Dick's meaning, her eyes showing a hint of reproach, but she still played along with her master's mischievous humor and moved to a different spot.

Dick, on the other hand, sat up straight, striking the classic "Commander Ikari" pose, and then spoke in a deliberately calm tone.

"Come in."

As soon as Dick finished speaking, four people filed in from outside.

They are Tia, who is in charge of the intelligence agency; Ruby Eyes, who is in charge of the farmers' association; Ding'an, who is in charge of the merchants' association; and Natasha, who is in charge of medicine.

These four men, each responsible for a specific area, can be considered the four most reliable domestic affairs talents under Dick.

Dick called all four of them over to discuss matters related to reorganizing the territory's government. He planned to upgrade his entire administrative team this winter, and many things that were previously impossible or unfeasible could now be put on the agenda.

Chapter 111: On and Under the Table

Over the past year, the governor's office in Lagog under Dick's rule has been expanded four times, with the number of various civil servants more than tripling compared to David's time, reaching over a thousand people, which is not much less than the 1,500-strong private army.

Such a large number of people was undoubtedly seen as an unnecessary waste by many traditional feudal lords.

It should be noted that the total population of Lagug is only over 50,000, which is a slight increase compared to last year. Many fiefdoms with a similar population size may only have six or seven officials and twenty or thirty clerical staff under their lord, which is already a sufficient administrative team.

A force of a thousand people—that's a configuration only a duke or marquis ruling over hundreds of thousands of subjects should have.

In reality, these seemingly sufficient "small teams" are not only inefficient, but also require no more financial savings than Dick's large team.

The so-called small team is nothing more than abolishing the standing grassroots civil servants and instead hiring temporary workers when needed, and some are simply assigned by the lord.

I heard you're in business, so you must be very good at accounting. Come help me collect taxes this year!

The system is chaotic, lacks oversight, and lords act arbitrarily.

How the hell can we possibly manage the territory with this garbage team?!

Therefore, Dick has always sought institutionalization and formalization, and having a sufficient number of civil servants is the fundamental reason why Dick, as a lord, has the ability to manage grassroots affairs.

Previously, Dick was merely the governor in charge of the lord's fiefdom. For many administrative matters, he needed to apply to his superiors first and obtain the Duke's approval before he could begin implementing them.

Now that he has become a lord himself, without any constraints, he naturally wants to go all out and make a big splash.

The reorganized fiefdom government adopted a simplified ministry system, initially establishing four departments: security, education, technology, and commerce. The army was separate from the Ministry of the Interior and was under the direct command of Dick himself.

The Ministry of Public Security is headed by Tia, and its main tasks are threefold: first, to formulate a legal code based on the local conditions; second, to establish a formal court to handle general civil disputes; and third, to incorporate the militia of each village and town and train them into a semi-military police force to be responsible for general public security within the territory.

As for the intelligence organization "Forget Me Not," it is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Security, but it is not publicly disclosed.

The Ministry of Education is chaired by Natasha. Although her main job is as a doctor, she has some experience in educating minors because she ran an orphanage in Belleburg, especially in dealing with unruly children.

Dick had implemented literacy education in the territory last year, but with little success, because there was no such thing as knowledge changing one's fate here. The only way for commoners to rise in social class was to join the army and fight their way to a title on the battlefield, or they could only hope to be born into a better family in the next life.