New Habsburg.

Losa sat on a thick tree root protruding from the ground, chatting with a group of Winged Cavalry: "Rodok, Carl, Marinado, I remember you are all from Jorgelisburg, right? Tomorrow on your way back, you can each go home, I'll give each of you three days of leave."

"Thank you, sir."

The Winged Cavalry showed joyful expressions.

What difference does it make to achieve success without returning home, compared to walking at night in splendid clothes?

"Don't worry, you'll all get your chance."

Losa paused and teased, "I remember, only Potter, Neymar, and Viters among you are married, right? This time back, take advantage of the time."

The Winged Cavalry burst into laughter.

All vigorous young men, influenced by military discipline, have never visited a place likely to have diseases, but that doesn't mean they have no needs.

Winged Cavalry, in many eyes, is not much different from a "Knight": adorned in splendid armor, exuding authority, and having impressive records in battle.

Many Winged Cavalry may not have been knighted yet, but Losa has granted them plenty of land and real estate, making them wealthier than most self-sufficient farmers.

Who wouldn't want their daughters to marry such young men?

Unfortunately, the vast majority of Winged Cavalry are Franks.

This makes them inadequate for local lordship duties; language barriers alone restrict them from acting as noblemen ruling an area for Losa.

The Winged Cavalry Camp in Jorgelisburg hasn't recruited anyone for a long time.

Because the limit for Winged Cavalry that the Count title can recruit is only a hundred, the number has long been reached.

And the attrition rate of the Winged Cavalry has always been low.

He suddenly remembered that he hadn't claimed the rewards for the Winged Cavalry Commander milestone, he needed to go personally to Jorgelisburg; it's been a long time already.

Jorgelisburg is now the most insignificant part of his domain, with monthly income not even enough to match Hebron.

Moreover, the soldiers from both camps have reached the limit for job transfers, sometimes Losa even forgets this "place of origin."

On the tower of New Habsburg's walls.

A branch of the Tree of Life stretched in from the window, twisted around at the top of the tower, and extended out another window.

Birds had nested here, chirping loudly, but the soldiers guarding the city did not remove this nest, instead thoughtfully crafted a wooden shield.

Probably used to shield bird droppings.

Jeanne came to Chelina's side, sat on the windowsill, and with a smile asked, "Miss Chelina, what kind of person do you think Losa is?"

She responded without hesitation, "He is a good man."

Jeanne rolled her eyes, "Indeed, although he has killed many, burned hundreds to thousands with a single Dragon Breath, and many heretics call him a butcher, he is still a good man."

Chelina seemed not to catch Jeanne's sarcasm, instead agreeing enthusiastically, "So true."

"I've heard about those things.

But if living brings more suffering to others, then killing that person isn't wrong; regarding the battlefield, it is either you die or I perish, there's no room for hesitation."

"At the very least, I've never heard of him raising his blade against civilians."

Jeanne snorted, "You see things clearly, little girl."

"But you're right, I also believe he is a good man, though sometimes he seems timid, looking quite innocent, yet that's his charm..."

Chelina's ears twitched suddenly, expressionless, she said, "He is here, if you want to praise him, perhaps wait a bit."

Jeanne coughed lightly, turned her head back, and showed an air of seriousness.

"Sir, just now I discussed with Chelina, that your trip back to Jerusalem, likely won't result in solidifying affairs in the border district. His Majesty the King probably won't support you, right?"

Chelina frowned.

When did I discuss such things with you?

Losa was slightly startled, "The sun has risen from the west! You even bothered to think and share my burdens!"

He paused in his speech, nodded, "Indeed challenging, but difficulty shouldn't lead to abandonment."

"Designing the border district can acquire tax exemptions; many newly cultivated lands in my domain are still in the initial reclamation phase, with no real output."

"In addition, tax exemptions can make people more willing to migrate to more remote border areas, which is one of my objectives on this trip to Jerusalem; recruiting settlers and increasing population."

In this period, in some territories in Europe, apart from the tithe, and the tribute paid to the royal family, the tax can reach an astonishing fifty percent!

Often leaving people with merely twenty percent.

Therefore, low taxes are quite appealing to the lower-class populace.

There is also exemption from military service, but this provision is useless in the Holy Land.

Due to ever-present threats, when a foreign enemy invades, all Crusader Princes have an obligation to fulfill military responsibilities, even the Border Earl.

Overall, if Losa can obtain the status of a border district, he won't only call himself a Vassal Prince, but his independence will also be enhanced.

Benefits would make him akin to Count Raymond of Tripoli, almost a standalone county.

From the King's perspective, this is more harmful than beneficial.

Any other king probably wouldn't agree easily to Losa establishing a border district.

At least Losa would have to offer sufficient benefits in exchange.

"As a king, His Majesty might not support me in establishing the border district, but he is not only a king but also my close friend—and, this isn't without benefit for His Majesty."

As a staunch member of the King's Faction, the stronger Losa's power, the more stable Baldwin IV's position becomes.

The two complement each other.

"Alright then, sir, what are your plans afterwards?"

"What plan?"

"Isaac I of Komnenos changed the Empire's single-headed eagle to a double-headed one, signifying the need to watch over Europe's territories and also attend to those in Asia. So, sir, what about you?"

Jeanne smiled softly:

"You wouldn't want to stay in the Holy Land forever, right?"

Losa was silent for a moment, "I don't know, the future, who can predict it? Whether it's unifying Great Germania, Eastern Empire, reconciling the Western and Eastern Churches."

"Or residing comfortably in a nook, reigning in the Holy Land."

"Or perhaps, one day if the Kingdom of Jerusalem falls, I'll lead my soldiers back to Europe to seek a resurgence."

Jeanne shrugged, "Sir, you've become much more pragmatic than before."

Furinjira suddenly dangled down from the branch, casually saying, "Why think so much, maybe someday calamity arrives from nowhere, a Demon God descends, and we're wiped out."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.