Chapter 367 The Blame Man 2
“Crack! Crack!”
The sound of metal friction reached the restaurant, and Paul looked at the 1st Infantry Battalion in full armor with some surprise. long.
"Bryce, what are you?"
"Oh, Lord Earl!"
Bryce knelt down on one knee and saluted. Unexpectedly, he had not worn this armor for a long time and it was a bit unfamiliar. It took a lot of effort to stand up.
“I am fulfilling the etiquette of a noble retainer. As your former military commander, I should always wear armor to protect my lord from any possible threats.”
Paul didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and invited him to sit down at the dining table.
Soon, Butler Philip directed several servants to put delicious dishes on the table.
Paul ordered: "You should step aside first. I want to stay alone with Lieutenant Colonel Alder for a while."
Old Philip followed the instructions and led the servants out of the restaurant.
Bryce raised his eyebrows. It seemed that the Count was looking for him tonight for more than just a meal.
After the footsteps of the servants disappeared completely, Paul picked up a bottle of wine, filled the glass in front of him first, and then walked to Bryce.
"Bryce, let's have some wine to appetize first."
As he spoke, he poured into the glass in front of Bryce.
When Bryce saw the count pouring wine for him personally, he stood up quickly, but was unexpectedly held down by Paul.
"Sit down, you are my guest tonight."
"Thank you...thank you, Lord Earl."
Bryce was nervous and excited at the same time. , nothing can be said.
Paul returned to his seat, raised his glass and said, "Here, let us drink this."
Bryce also raised his glass quickly, and the two glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound.
After having a drink, Paul filled their glasses again, prompting Bryce to thank him again, and the two started chatting while eating.
While chatting, Paul asked casually: "I said Bryce, the Alder family has been working for the Graiman family for a long time, right?"
"Yes. , Lord Earl." Bryce replied quickly: "It started from my grandfather's generation. Oops! I feel so sorry to have been favored by the Lord Earl's family."
"Haha, Bryce. , you are too modest. Not to mention your ancestors, you alone have helped me solve problems many times and made great contributions.”
"No, no, no!" Bryce looked horrified, "It's an average credit! It's really an average credit. Besides, those are my responsibilities and obligations as your retainer."
< br>"I think you are the one who has made the greatest contribution among all my subordinates. Even Schroeder, who is above you, is not as good as you."
"This...this..." Bryce He was a little speechless, "How dare I compare with Master Schroeder? Master Schroeder is an upright knight."
Paul waved his hands vigorously: "No, I don't care here. The title or position depends only on the actual merit. "
In fact, what Paul said was a bit contrary to his wishes. When the pirates were wiped out, in the second battle against Quirk, if it hadn't been for Schroeder. The rout was stopped with a prompt decision, and the book came to an end.
Moreover, Schroeder had served in the Northeastern Legion of the Kingdom and was the only person in Alda with serious military experience. It was he who perfected the Alda army that could only be called a grass-roots team at the time, and it was he who brought Paul from the earth. Some modern military concepts have been implemented in the army. It was he who taught the rookie officers at Graiman Military Academy how to deal with the army of this era, not to mention making many plans during the Assault War and personally leading the army to open the second battlefield. .
However, Bryce’s credit is not low. After the old Grayman left, he and Cecil acted together to stabilize Paul’s position as lord, and took the initiative to stay after losing the first battle against the pirates. After the break, Paul was able to escape smoothly. In the Assumption War, he led the army to defeat the enemy at Bidoburg. He then led the army to attack Emden and occupied half of the land in Malz Kent's hometown, which greatly accelerated the process of the war.
The victory at Fort Bido was particularly important. It was the first battle for Arda's army to show its strength to the outside world. In one fell swoop, Arda got rid of its weak image in the eyes of the lords of the northwest bay and established its own military. Power.
It can be said that the contributions of the two are evenly matched, and it is difficult to distinguish between them. "Come on, come on! Cheers to your contribution!"
Paul raised his full glass.
"Haha! The Earl praised me so much, I am really... really... really ashamed!"
Bryce raised his glass with a red face, with shame on his face There is also pride and pride, and the earl recognizes himself.
The two clinked glasses again and finished.
Then one cup after another. After not knowing how many drinks, Paul and Bryce were both a little tipsy.
"Bryce..." Paul shook the wine glass, and the wine inside rippled slightly.
"Yes, Lord Earl."
Bryce straightened his body and sat upright. His intuition told him that the real drama was coming.
"Hansel brought back the king's edict from the royal capital. You must have heard about it."
As expected, Bryce felt tight and reminded himself not to say anything wrong. talk.
"Uh... yes."
Paul stared at the other person and asked slowly: "Since the power that a lord should have has been restored, it is natural to show some expression to those who have made merits. Bryce, how do you think I should reward you..." He noticed a slight twinkle in Bryce's eyes, "...and the others?"
"This..." Bryce was a little afraid. Looking into Paul's eyes, he turned his head slightly and said, "Of course it's all up to the Earl to make the decision."
"Well, you are my number one hero and confidant, do you understand my confidant? Naturally, I want to discuss it with you."
Bryce looked at Paul again, scratched his head and said, "Your Excellency, this is really embarrassing for me. I am a rough man. I can charge and fight. But when it comes to rewards based on merit, why not... why don't you find Ford?" Sir or Sir Schroeder?”
The eyes don't look like they're being fake, okay. Paul drank the wine from his cup in one gulp.
"Bryce, in the past two years, I have built schools, promoted education, and used examinations to recruit officeholders. Do you know why?"
"This..." Bryce frowned He frowned and thought for a while, "My lord, you currently rule the three lands of Alda, Bairdin, and Emden, but you don't have a bunch of reliable lower-level lords. Naturally, you need to find talented people from the private sector to assist in ruling the territory, or... Use school to 'make' talented people."
"Use school to 'make' people?" Paul was amused by Bryce's description.
“You are right, just like cans are produced in canning factories and porcelain is fired in porcelain factories, talents can also be produced in schools.”
"With a large number of talented officials as officials, I don't need any lower-level lords to firmly control a large area of land."
"According to my optimistic estimate, in another five years... no, another year In four years, Alda, Bairding, and the wider Emden will be firmly under the control of the Government Council."
Paul held the cup in his right hand, and suddenly clenched his fist in his left hand. Full of confidence.
Bryce felt even more uneasy, but it was not the excitement just now. What the Earl meant was...
He froze in his seat, waiting for the Lord's next words.
"So, I'll just say it!"
Paul's eyes focused on Bryce's face.
“What price do I need to ask for you to be willing to accept only the honor of a sword-bearing noble and give up the power of a sword-bearing noble?”
(End of this chapter)< br>