Chapter 96: Rewarding Merits
After dealing with Monbodt, Duane went to Bard’s castle, led by Hardy.
This castle looked somewhat plainer; its exterior wasn’t as impressive as Daniels’s castle.
However, it had no shortage of defensive features and structures.
If Duane hadn’t dealt with Bard at the same time and had chosen to attack him in the future instead, he likely would have met with considerable resistance here.
There was nothing out of the ordinary, so the search concluded quickly.
Duane didn’t touch the possessions of those who had surrendered, only confiscating Bard’s property.
The Warrior’s assets were much simpler than Daniels’s.
In addition to 257 Gold Coins and two Combat Techniques called *Gale Slash* and *Shield of Defense*, Duane also acquired thousands of pounds of beast meat and several crates of Beast Hide.
To ease tensions back then, Bard had only sent Duane three pieces of Beast Hide. In retrospect, he was truly stingy.
Moreover, even after paying their concession fees, both Bard and Daniels still had such large stockpiles.
They had clearly made a fortune from Black Forest Island over the years.
Upon asking around, he learned that working under Bard or Daniels, a Basic-level Warrior earned only three or four Silver Coins a month. Even a Middle Level Warrior received just seven or eight.
By comparison, Duane paid his regular soldiers four Silver Coins a month, to say nothing of his Extraordinary Warriors.
In the Broken Wave Gang and the Holy Hand Association, only Advanced Warriors like Gaius and Simone earned anything approaching a decent wage, and even that was less than what Duane paid.
By being so cheap, they naturally managed to save a great deal on expenses.
By the time the two castles were inspected, the sun had already set, and night was about to fall.
Duane didn’t linger and returned to his residence in Broken Wave City.
That evening, Raymond brought the casualty report.
In this siege, the Guards Duane had brought with him suffered one death, two serious injuries, and seven minor injuries.
As for the Militia, there were three deaths, eight serious injuries, and fourteen minor injuries.
Duane couldn’t help but reflect on the cruelty of war. These were the losses even with his careful planning; had he truly faced both forces head-on, the casualties would have been much higher.
"Owington, take down my instructions. Inform the General Affairs Consultant tomorrow."
Julian and Ralph were still busy at the two castles, so they weren’t present.
Fortunately, the Male Servant was literate and could be used to record and relay his orders.
In Duane’s mind, if Owington performed well, he could be developed into a Clerk in the future, just like the Kingdom’s Clerk, Lloyd.
"First, the families of the fallen Militia members are to be compensated according to the established rules. Their families are to be freed from serfdom, they will receive a subsidy of six hundred pounds of grain annually for five years, and they will be exempt from the head tax."
Duane paused for a moment before adding, "There’s more and more to handle. Julian and his assistant might not be able to manage it all. If this task is given to new recruits, they must be supervised closely. Anyone who dares to lay a hand on the compensation funds can go join Monbodt in hell."
"Yes, I’ve written it down, milord!" Owington scribbled quickly.
"The injured members of the Militia will receive free medical treatment. If they do not survive, they will be treated as killed in action. Those who survive but are left maimed or disabled will also be freed from serfdom, they and their children will be exempt from the head tax, and they will receive an annual subsidy of three hundred pounds of grain."
"We’re short on manpower right now. If those who can no longer fight due to their injuries are competent enough for other posts, they should be given priority."
This was the policy for the Militia. The Guards who had followed Duane to Black Forest Island were to be treated differently.
This was also Duane fulfilling the promise he had made back at Lakefront Manor.
First, the family of a fallen Guard was to be given a subsidy of 30 Silver Coins annually for five years. They would also be awarded ten acres of fertile land, tax-free for three years.
Second, the injured would also receive free treatment; those who could not be saved would be treated as killed in action.
Those who survived but were disabled and unable to continue fighting would receive a one-time reward of 30 Silver Coins, have their head tax waived for themselves and their children, and be given preferential consideration for employment.
"Aside from the fallen and the disabled veterans, all others are to be rewarded based on merit. Their performance must also be recorded, as this will determine their discharge allowance upon retirement in the future."
Duane had won a great victory. He had obtained over four hundred Gold Coins from Daniels and Bard, and on top of that, there were vast tracts of land to be claimed.
Duane directly issued a bonus of 10 Silver Coins to each of the Guards who had participated in the battle.
He also had Raymond compile the Guards’ combat records. The one with the fifth-highest number of kills would be rewarded with ten acres of land, the fourth-highest would get fifteen, the third-highest twenty, and so on.
Furthermore, for their crucial roles in the battle, Kaelon and Raymond were granted fifty and thirty acres of fertile land, respectively.
Raymond scratched his head. "Milord, you don’t have to give me land. Besides, my family doesn’t want to come here, and I don’t have time to farm it!"
Duane smiled. "Then what do you want? I can reward you with money instead."
Raymond shook his head. "Serving you loyally is my own choice. I don’t expect any reward."
His plan had been to return to the Kingdom to seek his own fortune once Duane had established a firm foothold on Black Forest Island. He just hadn’t expected things to stabilize so quickly, much less for Duane to have two new Advanced Warriors by his side.
For now, however, Raymond had no intention of returning.
He had discovered that he could lead troops and command them on Black Forest Island, and life here was actually quite interesting. So, for the time being, he had no plans to return.
But Duane shook his head repeatedly. "You serve me to repay the kindness my father showed you; that’s one matter. You performed exceptionally well in battle, so I am rewarding you for it; that’s a separate matter entirely."
"Even if you don’t have time to farm the land yourself, you can just rent it out to the farmers on the island. Besides, you’ll get married and have children someday. It’s not a bad thing to have."
Raymond scratched his head again. "Well... alright. Thank you, milord! It’s just... how do I go about renting it? And how much rent should I charge?"
Hearing this, Duane was certain Raymond had truly never managed farmland before.
"You can ask Julian, Haien, or Ralph about it when you have a moment. They’ll give you some guidance. But ultimately, you must ensure the farmers who rent the land can still make a living. Don’t exploit them like Monbodt did."
Raymond was quick-witted, but he was at a complete loss when it came to matters outside his expertise.
He could only make a mental note to ask Julian and the others for advice when he had the chance.
Meanwhile, Owington raised a question of his own.
"Milord, the family of the fallen Guard isn’t on the island. How will we get their compensation to them?"
Duane pondered. That was indeed a problem.
When they first left Lakefront Manor, there had been talk of finding an opportunity to bring their families over.
But the time was clearly not yet right. Duane didn’t even have a ship to make the return journey.
"We’ll have an opportunity to return to the Pruck Kingdom sooner or later. For now, just record the compensation owed. We’ll pay it out then."
"Also, Raymond, once things have settled down after the battle, take a tally of which Guards want to bring their families over. Perhaps we can ask one of Captain Conaberton’s friends to help us with this."
Previously, they had all felt that Black Forest Island was too dangerous and didn’t want their families to join them.
But now, after the recent series of major events, everyone realized that life here could actually be quite good.
Some of them were bound to have a change of heart and want their families to come over.