When everyone opened their eyes and looked at Kailar again, they only saw Kailar raising his arm and shouting loudly: "But their deaths will not be in vain! They will be burned to ashes, and I will build a wall on the outskirts of Red Leaf Ridge with their urns!
The wall will bear their names, the time and age of their deaths. They are all heroes! They are all legends!
Not only them, but anyone from Red Leaf Ridge who dies in battle in the future will be enshrined in the wall. After ten years! A hundred years! A thousand years! Our descendants will know that the land they live on was protected by the flesh and blood of their ancestors! They will know that every inch of their land, every grain of their food, was reclaimed by their ancestors with blood and flesh! Even after we die, we will still transform into a city wall to bless them, protecting them for generations to come!!!"
Kailar shouted, raising his arm.
The two hundred thousand? Or three hundred thousand? Red Maple Citizens below cried out loudly, many elderly people with tears in their eyes kissed the ground, and the Knights dismounted, kneeling on one knee with their lances, trembling with excitement as they bowed to Kailar.
As for the elders, what regrets did they have? They could see their people reproduce happily and prosperously, and their deeds in this era would be remembered forever. They had no regrets. They believed that by following Kailar, their race would prosper and become strong. They would die without regret!
As for the Knights, what regrets did they have? As warriors, they asked for nothing more than to die on the battlefield and be remembered throughout history! When the Wall of Glory appeared in the land of Red Leaf Ridge, what could be more glorious than that? Nothing! Their great names would be sung for a thousand years, and their deeds would be passed down for all eternity!!
"Can these things reflect their achievements! No! Far from it! They protected us! They protected our home! They died for us! They died! We will raise their wives and children! We will be responsible for their education! We will guarantee their future!" Kailar shouted: "Their sons and daughters will enter the schools we are about to establish, and our government will not charge a single penny! If their families face financial difficulties, our government will subsidize them with fifteen coins every month! If they struggle with heating, we will never collect taxes from them again until their children come of age! This is what they deserve! In the future, anyone who dies in battle will also receive this treatment! This is a sign of respect for a warrior, and a tribute to those who sacrificed for the country. Red Leaf is with you!!!"
Kailar roared.
After a slight silence, a thunderous roar followed.
"Red Leaf, we are with you! Long live Red Leaf!!!!!"
"Red Leaf, we are with you! Long live Red Leaf!!!!!"
"Red Leaf, we are with you! Long live Red Leaf!!!!!"
When Kailar walked down the city wall, a group of people were already kneeling.
The West did not value kneeling (in fact, the East did not have kneeling rituals until the Qing Dynasty came to power... it was all a disgusting trick concocted by those pigtail barbarians to castrate the spirit...). So the highest etiquette in Red Leaf Ridge was only a half-kneel.
Clearly, Kailar's words touched everyone's hearts, reaching the most emotional parts of them.
"Everyone can go home now. Our powerful Knights have returned! We no longer need to fear anyone." Kailar smiled and helped up an old man who was weeping, saying loudly.
His words brought about good-natured laughter, and they walked out of the city gate in an orderly fashion. For the first time, the Knights, with their lances resting on their knightly swords, used their horses to create a passage for Kailar and Grand Duke Andrei to walk towards the castle.
Kailar tapped Gawain's shield, signaling for Gawain to dismount and join them. Gawain hesitated for a moment, then jumped off his horse and followed the two towards the castle above.
His mother, who rushed out, embraced his father and gave him a passionate French kiss. Even though Kailar had once merged with Artoria, he couldn't help but turn his head away at their bold and open display.
As for Gawain, there was even less to say; he even twisted his body to the side, trying to make himself seem less noticeable.
When the two let go, his mother, Marcy, had returned to her former elegant and noble demeanor. She came to Gawain's side, took his hand, and gently patted it: "Child, I know all about your father's affairs... I can only say I am very sorry... But one cannot dwell on the past... If you want to clear your father's name, become even more famous... Then everyone will only remember your glory, and forget your father's stain..."
It must be said that Marcy truly lived up to her reputation as a noblewoman who had lived for so long; with a single sentence, she pinpointed Gawain's current weakness!
"Yes, Aunt!" The aura Gawain now exuded was completely different. If the Gawain Kailar had just met was a stray dog, dispirited and unable to face the future, then the current Gawain was a ravenous lion... Even if an African elephant were here, he could bite it to death.
Kailar truly admired his mother's methods. The Kailar family walked towards the castle. Aunt Marcy's thoughtfulness and tenderness almost made Gawain cry; he tasted the family affection he hadn't experienced in a long time.
Gently patting the slightly melancholic yet touched Gawain, Kailar took the initiative to ask, "Father... How is Uncle Birmingham's territory?"
"I only sanctioned that scoundrel, but I didn't touch a single bit of that place. Birmingham's rebellion, according to the law, should result in the stripping of his title and the removal of his knighthood. However, the new King has not yet ascended the throne, and as a Grand Duke, I do not have the authority to judge a Marquis."
Upon hearing Grand Duke Andrei's words, Kailar covered his forehead. He knew his father was a staunch royalist, but he hadn't expected him to be so rigid: "Father, you didn't even leave a cavalry unit to maintain order?" Kailar asked incredulously.
"That is not my territory, and I have no right to station my Knights there." Grand Duke Andrei's reply was extremely rigid.
"But shouldn't you have left a troop of Knights to maintain order and, by the way, govern the place!" Kailar asked.
"I said, that is not my territory!" Grand Duke Andrei bristled, as if Kailar were the rebel.
"But you should know that without a ruler, the situation there will worsen, won't it! Plus the other two troops of Knights who invaded us, now a full three counties are in chaos!" (I can't find how Celtic countries were divided, so I can only use current UK units, divided by county.)
"But that is not my territory!" Grand Duke Andrei was as stubborn as a child.
"Alas..." Kailar sighed and adopted a roundabout strategy: "Father, if the new King ascends the throne and sees three counties already in chaos, will he not need time to govern them? And how many counties in all of Camelot might rebel? How much time and effort will it take for the new King to bring them under control? If we help the new King govern these three counties well, won't the King save a lot of time in the future?"
Grand Duke Andrei hesitated...