Ren was still sitting high on the throne, looking down at the ministers below. The kingdom's main officials and nobles were lined up on both sides, with some positions slightly vacant.
At this time, the hall was very quiet, because everyone knew the news of the Northern Army's victory, and there was no longer the panic of the previous few days. At least there was no need to worry that the royal capital would be breached by the orcs, but the atmosphere still seemed a bit strange.
Ren didn't speak. No one in the entire hall dared to make a sound. The slightest movement would be very obvious.
"Hey, is everyone here?"
"It seems that some people have traveled far enough and haven't come back yet."
Sitting in the upper position and overlooking the entire hall, you can actually see all the details in the hall clearly. There are people missing in some positions, which is not enough for Ren's eyes.
Renn's previous two thunderous methods established his authority and made the nobles and officials a little afraid of him. Although his words were calm, everyone could tell that Renn was somewhat angry, and no one dared to speak out.
Answer the call, and don't even dare to come out to cover.
It is actually obvious where these people went. They just saw that the orc army was coming, so they ran out of the royal capital in advance. Instead of hiding and watching near the royal capital, they ran away without a trace. Now the situation has changed.
It was too late to even make it back.
At a small scale, this is a sign of greed for life and fear of death; at a big scale, it means leaving one's post without permission and escaping from the battlefield.
Although this kind of hall has a wide scope of discussions and cannot decide any major issues, and even whether most people come or not has little impact, when it really needs to decide something, the vast majority of people in this hall have no qualifications to intervene.
But this did not prevent Ren from feeling angry. As a king, he stood firm in the royal capital, but his ministers escaped first. If there was no punishment, it would be unfair to those who stood firm.
"Since I didn't come, I won't come again in the future."
"Remember those who are absent from today's meeting in the main hall. These people are cowardly and fearful of death. They should no longer hold any official positions in the kingdom, nor are they worthy of being a member of the kingdom's nobility. Remove all positions and noble titles, and take back their fiefs.
Distributed and sent to the army..."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Renn's order determined the fate of these people. Although there was no bloody purge, the punishment of being dismissed from their official positions and titles, taking back their fiefs, and being sent to the army was not much lighter than direct execution for some people.
It is estimated that if this order continues, some people will not be able to bear it and commit suicide before they reach the place where they are sent to the army.
After Ren's order, many people in the hall were very frightened. It is estimated that less than half of the people in the hall are really willing to live and die with Charman in the royal capital. Most of them have also made plans to escape, but their actions are not as good as that.
The unlucky ones are just quick, most are still waiting and watching.
Fortunately, the city of Clais was still strong, and it defended it for more than a month, helping the upper-class nobles of the kingdom to maintain their last dignity. If the city of Clais had been breached first, there would be many people in the hall today.
, but a question of how many people are left.
"Let's talk about another thing. King Richard of the North led his army to a great victory over the orcs, annihilated the main force of the orcs, and relieved the crisis in the capital. How should I reward him?"
When Ren finally mentioned this, the officials below did not dare to speak.
This matter is much more difficult than dealing with some people who run away from the battle. Dealing with some officials and nobles is just a matter of orders, but the matter about Richard is a truly fatal matter.
Richard's great victory over the orcs is definitely a good thing for the entire human race. It can even be said that the great victory of the Northern Army was a strategic reversal. The entire human race was saved from becoming an orc slave because of the great victory of the Northern Army.
fate.
But for everyone present, especially Ren, who is currently sitting on the throne, it is a little embarrassing.
Originally, the strength of the Northern Army was already so terrifying that it made many officials in the kingdom extremely fearful. Now, it has completely annihilated the main force of the orcs.
Although the specific information on the battle situation has not yet been sent, it does not affect their evaluation of the Northland Army and it has improved several levels.
However, the situation of the kingdom at this time is that it has lost all its elite troops. All the troops near the royal capital that can fight are following the great prince to resist the orcs in Clays City. This is the only army that can only fight, and the orcs have left them behind in Clays City.
One of the partial armies was only capable of parrying. They sent final letters to the capital every day, as if they could not resist at any time.
As for the defenders of the royal capital, most of the elite guards were abandoned on the Longxiguan battlefield. Now, among the more than 200,000 guards in the city, except for the two legions left to guard the palace, the rest have little combat effectiveness.
With their frivolous display and the large number of volunteers organized during this period, they seemed to have a large number of people, but no one expected them to have any fighting power.
Fighting the orcs, they might be able to hold on with one breath. After all, there is racial justice at the forefront, and if the orcs are allowed to enter the royal capital, what will happen to their families? The refugees who fled into the royal capital have already told them
It's very clear.
But if the orcs retreat and these civilian warriors and new recruits are allowed to fight against the Northland Army, it is hard to say how much fighting will they will have. It is possible that these teams, which have not experienced much training, will simply disperse.
Even the nobles listed in the hall may have other thoughts at this time. It is much less stressful to take refuge in the King of the North than to take refuge in the orcs.
"Your Majesty, the title of the Northern King can no longer be advanced. You can give the Northern King some more manors on the central plains, and then reward the Northern Army with a lot of property."
The hall was quiet for a long time, and finally someone came out and made a suggestion. However, the speaker's voice was weak, and his tone was somewhat unconfident.
One more sentence was added at the end.
"You can also open the treasure house and let the King of the North choose two items."
The manors on the Central Plains, especially those close to the royal capital, were indeed hot commodities. Many newly promoted nobles would rather have the manors on the Central Plains than the territories in places like the Western and Northern Lands.
But for Richard, these so-called manors on the Great Plains are of little significance. Richard, who rules the entire Northland and River Valley, does not lack those dozen manors. Moreover, most of the Central Plains are still inhabited by orcs.
In hand, we will have to rely on the army from the north to fight back when the time comes.
Giving Richard the Manor feels like a free-for-all.
As for giving some wealth, it's even more useless. The kingdom's current situation is that there are too many and it can't afford to give, so it can only mean it.
There is only some value in opening the treasure house and letting Richard choose some treasures. After all, the Golden Dragon Kingdom's hundreds of years of accumulation, especially Aragorn's generation, left a lot of good things.
But as long as Richard is shameless enough, this so-called Kingdom Treasure House can immediately become Richard's private property. How can the tightly guarded Kingdom Treasure House withstand an army of dozens or millions of people?
After hearing this, Ren didn't express his position. After waiting for a long time, he asked again:
"If you don't say anything, you think this reward is not enough for your merits, right?"
Without waiting for the officials and nobles below to react, Renn continued with a smile.
"After thinking about it, in fact, apart from the chair I am sitting on, there is no one else worthy of the King of the North. If he is willing to change his surname to Charman, I will recognize him as an illegitimate son and directly designate him as the crown prince.
Everything is fine.”
"His Majesty…"
What Ren said seemed to be a joke, but the people below were frightened when they heard it. It was not that there were no loyal ministers of the Charman family in the hall. When Ren said this, someone immediately stood up.
"Your Majesty, the Great Prince's Iron Guard is still in Clays City. The orcs have retreated. The Iron Guard can be recalled to strengthen the defense force of the royal capital. Prince Pare of the South and the Dwarf Alliance have also organized a large-scale army.
The army can also summon Prince Pare to go north..."
"Your Majesty, no! Clay City is not only the gateway to the royal capital, but also the fulcrum of mankind in the entire western part of the Great Plains. Although the orc army has suffered a big loss now, there are still millions of orcs on the Great Plains. No matter what,
The army in Clay City cannot be mobilized."
When someone suggested directly recalling the Iron Guard, the Left Prime Minister was the first to stand up and oppose it.
There may be many idiots among the officials standing in the hall, but the left prime minister is very sober. For someone who can hold a high position under a wise leader like Ren, his level will not be too bad.
At this time, it is enough to mobilize the southern army to go north. If we mobilize the Iron Guards guarding the entrance to the royal capital, it will be like merging with the northern armies. If we listen to some fool's suggestions, the orcs have not been driven out yet.
, humans themselves started the fight first.
The Northern Army only eliminated a main force of orcs heading north and relieved the crisis. There were still more orcs on the Great Plains, and there were still orc armies entering Longxing Pass in a steady stream.
The birds are not gone yet, the cunning rabbit is not dead yet.
Anyone who is not stupid knows that now is definitely not the time for a fight.
"Hahahaha, it's obviously a good thing, but when you say it, it seems like the Northland Army has become our enemy."
Listening to the debate among the ministers below, Ren suddenly burst into laughter, and then ordered in a serious tone.
"There is absolutely no room for loss in Clay City. Let the Iron Guards guard Clay City for me."
"Pare can indeed move. He is ordered to lead his troops north and continue fighting the orcs with the Northern Army. We have only saved the royal capital. The next step is to drive the orcs out of Longxi Pass again."
"Also, let's disband the volunteers in the city. The capital now doesn't need to maintain such a large number of volunteers. By the way, we can make some space for the Northern Army, so that they can have a garrison when the Northern Army arrives."
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"If nothing happens, let's disperse. The orcs have withdrawn, and the city's control cannot be relaxed at once. After we get down, everyone will perform their duties..."
Some of the officials below seemed to want to say something, but finally sighed and gave up. Most of them left the hall with their own concerns.
When the last nobleman exited the hall, Ren's smile on the main seat gradually faded, and he looked a little distressed.
"Oh, my good son-in-law is really embarrassing me."