Celebration Banquet and Heir

Time flies, and more than two months have passed in the blink of an eye. Victor has long since returned to his territory, and more than a month has passed since the grand and solemn celebration of the Golden Sunflower Family's victory.

Looking back, at that lively and brightly lit victory banquet, Victor not only further ennobled several barons, but also bestowed upon thirty or forty knights!

Including the viscounts and barons who were conferred titles at the solemn and dignified promotion ceremony held in Silver Maple City some time ago, Victor generously allocated tens of thousands of square kilometers of land to the people as their respective fiefs.

In this way, this vast territory, like a string of dazzling pearls, is scattered in a well-organized manner at the eastern and western ends of the Two Rivers Territory, standing firmly like an impregnable fortress, becoming a solid defense line to safeguard the future peace and prosperity of the Two Rivers Territory.

At the celebration banquet, Victor solemnly announced, "In the next three years, we will welcome a large number of new immigrants."

"I have decided to select 100,000 people from among them and distribute them to you newly promoted nobles as your subjects." This news undoubtedly excited everyone present.

Furthermore, Victor promised, "The Two Rivers Territory will fully support everyone's territory development efforts, providing ample guarantees in terms of both human and material resources."

Moreover, all the basic expenses required for the construction of the territory will be borne by this Grand Duke! Such generous terms are truly hard to refuse.

However, Victor also made a demand—the industrial development of each territory must be highly complementary to that of the Two Rivers Territory, and they must all adopt a unified legal system.

Furthermore, the diplomatic affairs and military command of each territory must be uniformly managed by the Two Rivers Territory.

Surprisingly, none of the newly appointed nobles present raised any objections to these demands.

Even James, who was already an independent aristocrat, readily agreed.

After all, he also considered himself a vassal of Victor Marquis Golden Sunflower, and vassals should obey the will of feudal lords.

Moreover, Victor did not interfere too much in how they handled matters within the territory, which won everyone's approval.

Afterwards, even the lower-ranking officers and civilians who were not qualified to attend the victory banquet praised Victor's generosity and magnanimity when they learned of his request.

These people secretly hoped that one day they too would be fortunate enough to receive this honor—to be knighted.

After the victory celebration banquet, Victor set about arranging the rotation of troops for rest.

He meticulously planned to divide the holidays into several batches, ensuring that every soldier could get the rest they deserved.

At the same time, Victor thought further and more deeply: he not only paid attention to the soldiers who bravely sacrificed their lives on the battlefield, but also personally organized activities to comfort their families; in addition, Victor showed great care for those soldiers who were seriously wounded or disabled, and visited them one by one without sparing any effort.

And so, after a busy period of more than half a month, Victor finally completed all the work of offering condolences and assistance.

However, Victor now has to deal with a lot of administrative work related to the territory. Even in the dead of winter, he still has to tirelessly travel to every corner of the territory.

All of this was meticulously prepared for the important plans to smoothly carry out territorial expansion and accept new residents in the coming year. It can be said that Victor has been extremely busy and on the go these days.

Only recently has Victor finally managed to free up some free time to resume his old habit of morning exercise.

Two muffled thuds resounded, and the entire Drill Ground seemed to tremble.

Early that morning, sunlight streamed through the clouds onto the Drill Ground, but no one was in the mood to appreciate the beautiful scenery.

Several figures flew out like kites with broken strings, crashing heavily to the ground in the distance, emitting screams of agony.

These people were the guards of the Lord's Mansion in Mubao Town Two Rivers Territory Wood Fort Town. They were all in a sorry state. Some were holding their heads and groaning in pain, some were clutching their chests and panting heavily, and some were simply lying on the ground without moving, seemingly having lost consciousness.

The instigator of all this— Victor —stood steadily in the center of the Drill Ground. Victor had just finished a battle. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, a white aura gushing from his mouth, as if merging with the cold air around him.

However, seeing the group of guards lying on the ground groaning in pain, Victor frowned, his face full of displeasure.

"Enough!" he roared, his voice echoing like thunder across the Drill Ground, sending a shiver down everyone's spine. "Are all those thick protective gears you're wearing just for decoration?"

What I'm holding in my hand is a wooden stick covered with soft leather!

And I didn't even use my full strength, yet you were beaten to this pulp?

As Victor spoke, he glared fiercely at the guards lying on the ground.

"Training is over for today. You guys, I only gave you a few days off, and your skills have deteriorated so much. It seems you didn't train at all during your vacation. You are truly the worst group of guards I've ever trained!"

Victor said in a tone of disappointment, then shook his head, dropped the stick, and walked straight back into the house.

Once the guards saw Victor leave, they stopped wailing with a sigh of relief and helped each other to their feet.

One of the guards rubbed his aching limbs, looking at his companions with lingering fear, and complained: Thank goodness, this nightmare is finally over.

I've been advising everyone not to rush back; it would be safer to wait until the main group returns to camp together!

Who knew that the Marquis would specifically target us unlucky souls who returned early this morning? To suffer such brutal training first thing in the morning is enough to make me feel like my back is about to fall apart! As he spoke, he groaned in pain and reached out to rub his back, seemingly trying to relieve the indescribable discomfort.

However, another guard beside him mercilessly exposed his lie, retorting sarcastically. "Come on, stop pretending!"

You were clearly the one who was pretending the best just now, weren't you?

Also, you're putting your hand in the wrong place at all. That's not your waist, it's your kidney!

Hehe, I bet you haven't been idle during your vacation. You've probably been working hard and cultivating the land at home quite a few times!

In an instant, a burst of laughter erupted from all around, as if the entire space was engulfed by this joy.

Although these men were all Victor's close bodyguards and held the rank of junior officer, as soldiers after all, their suggestive jokes undoubtedly resonated strongly with the crowd.

As the laughter subsided, a slightly timid voice rang out from the crowd. "I'm afraid it's not appropriate for us to deceive the Marquis like this!"

What if he gets angry and sends us back to our original units as ordinary soldiers?

Before the words were even finished, another voice immediately retorted, "Hey, judging from what you're saying, you haven't been here long, have you?"

The man who had just asked the question immediately replied, "Yes! I was recommended by our Detachment Commander to join the Guard Corps after the victory celebration!"

A guard who was more senior than him said, "I knew it! All the old guards know that when the lord is doing his morning exercises, his favorite catchphrase is, 'You are the worst group of guards I have ever led!'"

In fact, he said this with every batch of guards!

Moreover, our lord knows better than we do; after all, everyone knows how powerful our lord is—something we can't possibly contend with.

The adult is just a little angry because he hasn't been able to vent his frustrations; he's probably a bit sexually unsatisfied!

Upon hearing his words, the others immediately gathered around curiously and whispered, "What's wrong, Lord? Is your desire unsatisfied?"

"What's wrong, my lord?"

The old soldier smiled mysteriously, then whispered, "I hear the lady is pregnant!"

This immediately caused a gasp from the crowd. "Really?!"

"That's wonderful!"

"Does this mean our territory will have a new heir? I wonder if it will be the young master or the young lady?"

Upon hearing the news, every guard's face beamed with barely suppressed joy.

Although these guards were only junior officers, they were by no means uneducated.

Even before joining the Guards, they frequently attended various training courses organized by the General Staff to continuously enrich themselves and improve their skills; and since becoming Guards, they have diligently followed Victor's teachings and continued to strive to learn various kinds of knowledge and culture.

Therefore, they were fully aware of the profound significance of this new life about to be born—the birth of this child would have an immeasurable impact on both the entire Two Rivers Territory and the Golden Sunflower Family.

For a long time before this, Victor had been unable to have any children of his own.

Nevertheless, since he had brothers and sisters, and his Golden Sunflower Family, was only a viscount noble with two ordinary fiefdoms, it could only be considered a viscountdom with considerable strength.

Therefore, if Victor were to unfortunately meet with misfortune, it would seem logical for his siblings to inherit the land and the corresponding titles and rights. This would not only conform to the inheritance laws that nobles have always followed, but also be in line with the various traditional customs passed down from ancient times.

However, times have changed, and Victor is no longer the same as before. He has been granted the title of Marquis bestowed by the Raine Kingdom, the prestige of which is self-evident.

Let's look at the smaller of the two territories first. It is located in the Central Vira Province. After careful planning and resource integration, it has become a vast land of four or five thousand square kilometers! Such a scale is comparable to a fiefdom of Count.

Then look at that even more expansive territory, which sits majestically above the North Vira Province and is granted an enviable privilege—the ability to expand its sphere of influence into the Northlands Wasteland without limit!

According to the grand plan revealed by Victor at the victory celebration banquet, it is estimated that in the next three years alone, hundreds of thousands of new residents will relocate from the Central Plains to this area, thus cultivating at least 30,000 square kilometers of fertile land. Such a land with unlimited potential and a bright future is truly a priceless treasure unparalleled in the world!

Regardless of the specific territory, it would undoubtedly be something that any nobleman would yearn for and desperately desire; even those high-ranking Duke would probably drool over it.

If Victor were to encounter any misfortune, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Not to mention whether Victor's brothers and sisters can hold onto this territory, even his father, the old Baron Wembley, is probably powerless to do anything about it!

Even assuming one of Victor's siblings were fortunate enough to gain the recognition and support of other high-ranking nobles, how would they then deal with the potential for internal division within the territory?

It should be noted that Victor made significant contributions to the Civil War with the Golden Sunflower Family Private Army, which he personally founded and developed.

This army not only had two viscount generals and nearly ten barons, but also dozens of knights personally appointed by Victor.

Even though the senior viscounts and barons held the old baron Wembley in awe, they might not necessarily approve of Victor's brothers and sisters.

It is foreseeable that once the old baron passes away, this rich land will likely descend into chaos or even violent conflict due to the issue of succession.

These guards naturally understood this principle. Now that Victor finally had an heir, the best successor to the territory and title, and with the most correct legal lineage, everyone was naturally very happy.

Someone immediately suggested, "Having heard this good news, we should naturally have a drink to celebrate."

The timid newcomer at first now boldly declared, "Let's go, I'll treat everyone to drinks!"

I know a new government-run tavern opened in town that sells a sweet wine that's supposedly made with White Sugar and is incredibly delicious!

The veteran guard joked, "Hey kid, aren't you afraid of being punished by your superiors for drinking too much?"

The newlyweds chuckled nonchalantly and replied, "Hehe, what does it matter if we suffer a little pain to celebrate such a joyous occasion with a hearty drink?"

Besides, with an heir, our territory can be passed down in an orderly manner. Who knows, we might even get a knighthood someday!

"Yes! At this victory celebration banquet, almost all officers above the rank of Detachment Commander, as well as some important civil officials in the territory, were granted the title of knight!"

We are the Imperial Guard, future mid-to-high-ranking officers of the territory. Didn't the territory lord himself say so?

As long as you can rise to the position of Detachment Commander and perform your duties well, you can be awarded the title of knight based on your accumulated merits!

We all have a chance!

The group left the Drill Ground, arms around each other, singing as they went, and happily went off to drink!