Chapter 418: 395 who did you just say?_2
But if both sides adamantly clashed, those who would laugh last would certainly be neither of the two nations but rather the two other great countries watching covetously, along with numerous small ant-like countries eager to nibble on elephant meat while enjoying the spectacle.
Therefore, after deliberations, both sides signed a treaty.
The terms of the treaty were as follows:
"Both countries shall go to war every three years, each war lasting only three years. After the three-year period, if there is still no victor, hostility must cease for three years, and no further war may continue."
"During this period, should an external nation intervene, attempting to harm either of the two countries, it is the duty of the other to unite in common defense against the invasion of foreign forces."
"Any violation of this agreement shall deem the transgressor the loser, who must accept any demands made by the victor, including but not limited to ceding territories."
This agreement, somewhat half-hearted and inconclusive, served only two purposes:
One was to prevent the involvement of other countries, to prevent being taken advantage of in a moment of weakness and devoured whole.
The other was to allow both nations time to recover and rejuvenate, so as not to be left empty-handed after one battle.
Gel explained it this way, and although Reiger didn’t understand the significance of this arrangement or how it could effectively determine a winner, he accepted it as such without pondering over it too much.
Then came the crucial point.
"For the war that occurs every three years, the kingdom will launch military recruitment drives across all its territories during the truce periods, gathering the recruited forces in Meipros territory and handing them over to the Meipros family for training."
"Thus, when the time comes for the war every three years, the trained soldiers or knights would be able to join the battlefield immediately, becoming instant combat power."
"Therefore, to actively respond to the recruitment, the kingdom has regulations that, aside from the high nobility such as dukes, marquises, and earls, the lesser nobility such as viscounts and barons must have one male participate in the recruitment activity at least once and train in Meipros territory for three years."
Gel explained this to Reiger.
"Generally, the training is limited to males over the age of fifteen, but some nobles, to ensure their offspring receive ample training and increase their personal value, will sometimes send their younger children to Meipros territory ahead of time."
"These nobles even regard this as gilding their children, and some of them, solely to correct the proud and indulgent nature of their family’s youth, will especially send their children over, including some from the high nobility."
"As for the matter of going to the battlefield to kill the enemy, that is of no concern to them."
After all, one couldn’t possibly send underage children to the battlefield, could they?
So, once the three-year term was up, if these young recruits were still underage, they would be sent back home.
The kingdom did not discourage this practice because it benefited the realm. After undergoing military training, these young nobles generally became staunch defenders of the state, patriots, and some would even unleash astonishing potential to become highly skilled swordsmen. Isn’t this far better than allowing these noble families to raise a bunch of arrogant, incompetent dandies?
If this could cultivate a group of future nobility loyal to the state, then not only would their individual contributions be valuable, but their influence on their respective families would be significant. As long as they could ensure these families’ unwavering loyalty to the kingdom, that alone would be a great contribution.
"I see."
Reiger nodded in understanding.
He wasn’t very familiar with these matters, and it was natural for the original countryside owner of this body to not know such anecdotes from the border regions.
At the same time, Reiger also understood what Fannie’s younger brother was all about.
"The young master of your family was sent to Meipros territory for further cultivation, wasn’t he?"
Reiger said to Gel.
"Yes," Gel nodded vigorously and said, "The young master has already been here for a year."
Normally, this shouldn’t be a significant enough issue for Fannie, a naive girl who had never been exposed to the world, to sneak out and run to such a dangerous place in search of kin.
Unless...
"Did something happen to the young master?"
Reiger was still able to make this connection quite effortlessly.
And sure enough...
"...We don’t know if we can call it trouble," Gel pondered for a moment before saying, "But in the past year, the young master would send letters home every month, until they suddenly stopped three months ago, without any warning."
"That doesn’t necessarily prove he’s in trouble, right?" Reiger shook his head and said, "Maybe he just didn’t want to send it, or perhaps he was too exhausted from training to spare any energy for such tasks."
It wasn’t Gel who rebutted Reiger’s statement, but Fannie.
"No! That’s not possible!" Fannie’s voice was still very soft, yet she spoke with utmost certainty, "Finn would never fail to send me a letter!"
Reiger reacted to this unequivocally certain statement.
"Who did you just mention?" Reiger looked at Fannie, surprised, "Finn?"
"Finn, Finn is my brother!" Fannie shrank back for a moment but still mustered the courage to say, "His, his name is Finn Alisier!"
Hearing this, Reiger nodded calmly on the surface but inside he was filled with doubt.
"There’s someone here with the same name as you, Captain."
Thinking of the small yet dignified and benevolent captain of the Dwarf race, Reiger suddenly found himself longing to return to Earth Mistake World.
Seeing Reiger fall into deep thought, Gel spoke up cautiously.
"Viscount Alisier has a total of five children, each born to one of his three wives."
"Among these children, Miss Fannie is the eldest daughter, while young Master Finn is the third son, with just a year between them, and they share the same mother."
"Therefore, the relationship between the miss and the young master is exceptionally close. Even if the young master goes on a trip, he would always send letters to reassure the miss. Hence, the sudden cessation of contact has naturally led to her concern."
Gel explained the situation thoroughly to Reiger.
In other words, Fannie felt that her brother had suddenly lost contact with her, which was very strange, and she was convinced that something must have happened, which was why she couldn’t help coming to find him.
However, her father didn’t agree because the Meipros territory was very chaotic and dangerous. Besides, he didn’t believe his son would run into trouble in a military stronghold, so he stopped Fannie.
Unexpectedly, Fannie had slipped out of her home with just Gel, and on her own, had come to the Meipros territory to find her brother.
That was why Fannie and Gel, without any guards or knights, had come to this tumultuous land alone and vulnerable.
"Alright." Reiger nodded and said, "I understand your situation. Since it’s on the way, I will take you to the nearest city. After that, it’s up to you to decide what to do."
Gel and Fannie were overjoyed at once.
"Thank you, sir!"
"Tha, thank you, sir!"
The two of them quickly bowed to Reiger.
Reiger extended a hand, helping them get back to their feet.
"Now, it’s my turn to ask a question." Reiger glanced at Fannie, then fixed his gaze on Gel, "There’s one thing I want to ask you."
"Please go ahead." Gel said solemnly, "If it’s something I know, I’ll certainly tell the truth."
"Good." Reiger smiled slightly and said, "Do you have any idea..."
Just as Reiger was about to ask the question foremost in his mind, suddenly, from the driver’s seat, Liz’s voice came through.
"Ma, master! A lot of people have appeared up ahead!"
Liz’s somewhat panicky words made Reiger frown and stop talking.
"Somebody?"
"Are they, are they bad guys again?"
Gel and Fannie immediately tensed up.
Reiger then reached out and drew back the curtain of the carriage window, looking outside.
With a glance, a mix of shock and astonishment involuntarily emerged in Reiger’s eyes.