Rise In Calradia

　　 At the invitation of Earl Kleis, Byron once again entered Dherim's castle.

As the city with the best defense facilities on the Calradia continent and the easiest and most difficult to attack city, Dehrim’s castle is also very large, with a height of more than 30 meters and a total scale of 10,000 square meters. It is in the kingdom of Swadia. The King's Castle is second only to Palavin.

　　 There is a deep trench in front of the castle, and all the people who come and go have to rely on the suspension bridge that is large enough for two carriages to pass in parallel. Two Swadia infantrymen stood at each end of the suspension bridge, and when crossing the suspension bridge, as long as you looked up, you could see the three-meter-long yellow-bottomed black bear flag, which was the emblem of Earl Kleis.

　　 And in the tower of the castle and

　　 Although the castle was originally built for military purposes, after so many years, the interior of the castle has been remodeled to be suitable for living, and the hall is elegantly decorated and well-lit.

　　 Under the leadership of a knight, Byron passed by the hall, walked up the stairs, and came to the room where Earl Clays usually handles daily affairs, and then leaned over to salute.

　　 "I'm glad you can come."

　　Earl Claes saw Byron's arrival, put down the pen in his hand, covered the half-written letter with a few pieces of paper, and then motioned for Byron to pass.

　　 "Lord Earl, I have received your letter, and I am happy to accept your employment."

　　Byron took a few steps forward and stood in front of the earl. The knight also accepted a rolled up contract from the earl and unfolded it in front of Byron.

　　 "Actually, I am only hiring you on behalf of King Harous. You must remember this clearly. You are to serve him, not me."

　　 Earl added two sentences, and then pointed his finger at the contract.

"The specific content is on the above. At least half a year of the contract, the Peony mercenaries have to respond to the call at any time like the kingdom's army, and follow the kingdom's military laws. Of course, the specific commission is very clear, and I can represent the king once. You will be paid 2,000 dinars for sex."

　　 Byron respectfully accepted the contract and took a closer look.

　　 The first half is about the obligations of mercenaries. They should respond to the marshal’s call at any time and complete the tasks assigned by the marshal. They must not escape, and must ensure that the number of troops participating in the battle cannot be less than one-third of the total number of troops. If there is a breach of contract, a fine will be fined, or a penalty will be imposed in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom.

　　 If you surrender to the enemy during the contract period, you will be permanently wanted by the Kingdom of Swadia. Moreover, within one year after the end of the contract, you are not allowed to join forces that are hostile to the Kingdom of Swadia, otherwise you will also be wanted by the Kingdom.

　　 If the spoils are seized, except for those that are particularly important or are specially requested by the king and the marshal, the rest can be owned by the Peony Mercenary. For captured enemy prisoners, except those who surrender and join their troops voluntarily, they must be handed over to the king’s nobles, and of course there will be corresponding rewards. The villages, castles and cities occupied by the peony mercenaries are all owned by the kingdom and are not allowed to be owned by themselves, and the king will commend them accordingly according to their merits.

　　 This sounds very generous, but if the mercenaries are captured, the kingdom has no obligation to redeem them, which is very cheating.

　　 The salary paid to Peony mercenaries should be inspected by Earl Kleis and paid according to his equipment and combat experience. The maximum monthly salary of infantrymen shall not exceed 15 dinars, and the monthly salary of cavalry shall not exceed 30 dinars. If a battle is held, the kingdom will provide mercenary supplies in accordance with troop standards. When there is no battle, the necessary supplies should be prepared by the Peony Mercenaries themselves.

　　 There is also the issue of equipment. Equipment maintenance mercenaries can enjoy the same treatment as troops, but neither the king nor the nobles are responsible for providing them with new equipment for free. Of course, if you have money, it's another matter.

　　 What is left are some military details and miscellaneous items. The most mentioned one is that it stipulates that the people of the Swa Kingdom shall not be plundered.

　　 At the end is the family seal of Earl Kleis and the name of King Harous.

　　 Byron looked at the contract twice and felt that although some of the terms were a bit overbearing, they were acceptable. So he picked up a quill pen, signed his name, and took out the peony seal that was newly carved a few days ago, and smeared it with ink.

　　 Two copies of the contract were written, one for the mercenary team and one for Earl Clays. This is very similar to later generations, and there is still a certain guarantee.

　　 "Very well, Byron, now you are mercenaries employed in the Kingdom of Swadia. The war in the South has begun. Get your troops ready, ready to be called up."

　　 Count Kleis stood up, stretched out a hand and shook Byron, and the knight next to him also nodded to him, expressing his welcome to join the army of the Kingdom of Swadia.

　　 "No problem, Lord Earl, the three hundred soldiers of the Peony Mercenary will be with you...deployed by the king and the marshal!"

　　Byron paid a salute, and Earl Clays was a little surprised when he heard the number of soldiers under Byron, he found that he still underestimated Byron. Three hundred armed soldiers, and the proportion of cavalry among them is not low, this is equivalent to the sum of the troops of two barons with their own territories. But thinking about Calradia's large-scale mercenary groups of hundreds or even a thousand people, he is not so surprised.

Calradia is a quagmire of war. The smell of blood is too strong. It naturally attracts a lot of ferocious and hungry vultures and hounds~www.wuxiaspot.com~ My lord, if I ask, who might be the new marshal of the kingdom. Woolen cloth? "

　　 After Byron finished speaking, he asked by the way. This matter is very important. Different marshals have completely different fighting styles. Understanding these is very important for Byron's work and plans afterwards.

　　 "From now on, the most likely one is Earl Greyward, and many lords support him."

　　Earl Kleis didn't hide anything, but he could hear some dissatisfaction in his tone.

　　Of course, this is not because the relationship between the two is bad. Earl Greyward is a good old man among the nobles of Swadia, and there is no conflict of interest with Earl Claes. Earl Claes was dissatisfied, I am afraid he did not become the marshal.

　　 "It's a bit rude, but what do you think of Earl Greyward's way of commanding his troops? As a mercenary fighting for the kingdom, I have to know what orders my boss might give me."

　　Byron thought for a while, and then asked Earl Claes carefully, hoping to catch his breath.

　　 "He is an upright person, and very kind, but I don't think it will be good for war."

　　 "I was a marshal in the last war, but I didn't win. It is not incomprehensible to let someone else take this position."

　　Earl Claes didn't hide too much because of Byron's identity, and directly stated something in the aristocratic circle.

　　 "Well, your Excellency Mogg will go to your camp with you in a while, check your troops, and give your soldiers a reasonable salary figure."

When 　　 said here, the earl sat down and made a gesture of seeing off the guests. The knight also left the room with Byron.