In addition to the breezy half-mountain area below, after harvesting the wheat, it can be conveniently transported to the mill for grinding into flour. This area is so fertile that even Terenas is somewhat envious; fertile lands are always sought after. Not to mention it's close to the coastline, which could develop some fishing and trade from the sea, making the geographical position quite advantageous.
Among the soldiers drawn this time, five thousand are from the Lordaeron city defense army, and five thousand are private armies cobbled together by other nobles. What frustrates Arthas is this feudal system, where autonomy exists, and taxes are set by the nobles.
In matters concerning their fief, as long as it's not a blatant rebellion, even the king has no say and can only exert some influence. As for the lord of the lords, the king has even less power to intervene, leaving him very passive. A king who cannot be trusted to keep his word, who does not follow through on his promises, and who cannot enforce his commands feels quite unlucky in Arthas's eyes.
It's ridiculous that as a king, he must resort to scheming to fight for his position. This system has obvious drawbacks, and yet no one dares to oppose or overthrow it because the common folks hope to rise through this system. The nobles, meanwhile, are intent on protecting their wealth and will not allow it to be changed or overthrown.
Once any change occurs, it means becoming enemies with all the nobles, and if they unite against one, the explosive power is truly terrifying. Arthas would never do such things without confidence, and moreover, he is also a beneficiary. Why would he rebel now?
On the road, compared to the soldiers from Lordaeron, those noble private soldiers seem more disorganized and scattered; after marching for over two hours, they start clamoring for a rest, as if they haven't walked far enough? Arthas coldly observes these private soldiers, and he'll need a reason to deal with them.
"Let's take a break then."
Calia can feel her brother's cold gaze, which fascinates her. When did her brother become so manly? With her, he is like a gentle spring breeze, but when facing enemies, he is as cold as winter.
"Little prince, it seems this team is hard to lead" Chromie transformed into the appearance of a human gnome, and was arranged to be a liaison for Arthas. She is still quite pleased; at least she does not have to travel to other timelines to fix so-called time errors.
"There are always more things in life that don't go as planned than those that do." Arthas smiles faintly, then looks into the distance.
"There will certainly be a way through when we reach the mountain."
"What if there's a great mountain blocking the way?" Tarecgosa, transformed into a lovely high elf, asks in an inquiring tone.
Since they will have to interact in the future, it would be nice to chat. At the very least, she is quite interested in this new partner of the Black Dragon Queen, a human? How strange!
"Then we'll overthrow it, blast it to pieces!" Arthas smiles, but the next moment his expression turns cold. He grips his longsword tightly and looks into the distance. "Falric, bring the enforcement team and follow me."
Not far away, several noble soldiers are surrounding a father and daughter. The father blocks these soldiers from pulling his daughter, standing in front of her, pleading while dodging their punches and kicks.
"Gentlemen, we are just passing through, passing through. We are from the Kingdom of Stormwind, just returning from Baron Kaomei's estate; we are not spies!" Edwin pleads with the soldiers, especially with the leading noble.
He knows very well their tactics, they simply have their eyes on his daughter—these are demons who would eat people without spitting out the bones. If they fancy a woman, they will forcefully take her, and once they tire of her, she might end up with half her life gone.
"Bullshit, Baron McCullough is my uncle; how could I not know if he is renovating the yard? You must be spies! Come on, arrest them, torture them; these are spies of the tribe! This woman I will interrogate myself!" A pale-faced nobleman leers at the girl sheltered behind Edwin, a woman with allure—Stormwind? Just a poor country bumpkin!
Vanessa looks at the noble with disgust; she hates such scum the most. "We indeed just returned from Baron McCullough's estate; this noble lord is bullying us just because he sees we are from the Kingdom of Stormwind, right? King Varian will not sit idly by! Lord Koloff, we used to renovate your yard at the lowest cost, and you praised my father's skills, remember?"
"Oh, people from the Kingdom of Stormwind? Ha! Who can prove it? Hey, Koloff, aren't you a viscount from the Kingdom of Stormwind? Do you know them?"
Roden laughs sinisterly, "Impersonating citizens of the kingdom is a more severe crime!"
The Stormwind viscount called upon shivers, clearly scared of being bullied. A man like him is lesser than even a knight who is not even a baron! Koloff shakes his head, "I don't know, I'm not sure; I haven't seen you, you must have mistaken me."
"Haha, come on, arrest her; this little lady is pretty feisty! I will make you understand the cost of lying!" Roden looks at Vanessa, whose body has blossomed into curves, exuding an addictive allure! Vanessa's expression gradually becomes disgusted; she quietly pulls out a dagger and, taking advantage of a soldier's distraction, swiftly slashes at his arm.
"Everyone back off!"
"Assassin!" Roden screams immediately, hiding behind the guards, scared stiff. This is just a dagger, is it necessary to be afraid?
Chromie says to Tarecgosa, "Do you want to go see together?"
"Isn't it a bit inappropriate to watch from the sidelines?" Tarecgosa feels a bit eager; she is particularly interested in this continent.
"No problem, do you not trust me?" Chromie, a dragon from a similar era as Nozdormu, may not compare to Nozdormu's directly blessed mother, but she has also obtained temporal power, making her quite experienced, far surpassing Tarecgosa.
The red dragon envoy Keristrasza and the green dragon envoy Emeriss glance at each other, both quietly following along. Serving as envoys is quite relaxed, and they have a task: to observe Arthas, as ordered by the queen!
Dragons are naturally curious, and seeing a weak Arthas gain the attention of guarding dragons is truly intriguing.