vstars Chapter 505 New Mercenary Agreement
Chapter 505 New Mercenary Agreement
In the meeting room of the royal palace in Helmingen, the flickering candlelight stretched the shadows of the three people into long and slender shapes.
Charles stood below King John's throne, and Theodore, the Keeper of the Seal, who was standing in front of him, gently placed a document on the table in front of King John, and said solemnly:
"Ambassadors from Mitlan and Yoda protested to our country, believing that Black Watch cannot be defined as a pure mercenary group and that a series of agreements should be signed to constrain its behavior."
John took the document, tapping his fingertips lightly on the surface of the parchment. He had expected this.
Mitlan and Yoda had been upset about it ever since he had adjusted Blackwatch's operations to allow its mercenary outposts to participate in conflicts in the War Zone.
"What does Midland say?"
King John spoke, his voice calm.
"The top leaders of Midland believe that..."
Theodore continued:
"The Black Watch was established by His Majesty himself, and its chief officer Helderan is a high-ranking official in Helderan, so it cannot be regarded as a pure mercenary group. They require that the Black Watch must be supervised by officials in Midland, limit the types of contracts, and pay taxes regularly until it complies with Midland's commercial laws."
King John's eyes darkened. He could tell what Midland was planning - they wanted to bring Black Watch under their country's control.
"Where's Yoda?"
"Ambassador Yoda was more direct."
There was a hint of helplessness in Theodore's tone.
"They think that such a cheap and efficient force should only be hired by Midland. If Helderan insists on benefiting only Midland, it is a disguised support for Midland's violation of the peace agreement."
"Ah."
Charlie sneered and clenched his fists. He was the supreme commander of Black Watch and had seen the combat effectiveness of the Midland army with his own eyes.
If it weren't for the bloody battle of Blackwatch, Midland would have been reduced to ashes under the enemy's iron hoof.
"In that case, let's talk."
King John closed the document with a calm look, there was no need for him to get involved in this kind of thing. Even if Midland and Yoda officially did not allow hiring, the demand for mercenaries in various places could not be met by the mercenary groups of dozens or hundreds of people in their country. The worst that could happen was to split up Blackwatch directly, and then God would know which one would be Blackwatch.
Soon after, the ambassadors of the two countries arrived in Helmingen.
Mitlan's ambassador was Hoth, while Yoda sent a new face.
On the Blackwatch side, Supreme Commander Charlie and Theodore were present together.
At the beginning of the meeting, Theodore introduced both parties to each other and Charlie, and then he asked directly:
"If you two have any opinions, you can raise them now."
Hoss spoke first, his tone was firm:
"The nature of your country's mercenary group is different from the mercenary group defined by our country's top leaders. Midland's mercenary group was formed spontaneously by civilians, while Black Watch was established by King John himself, and its highest commander is a senior official of your country."
"We believe that Black Watch cannot be regarded as a pure mercenary group. If it wants to make a profit in Midland, it must accept the supervision of our officials, including restricting contracts, paying taxes regularly, and other conditions until it complies with our commercial laws."
Ambassador Yoda was stunned when he heard this. The Empire had ordered him to have Black Watch move to Yoda and serve the Empire, but now it seemed that this force could not only make money, but also collect taxes?
He immediately decided:
“Our country holds the same view!”
Charlie's face darkened, and the anger in his heart almost burst out.
He really wanted to curse directly, "You are taking advantage of me," but diplomatic etiquette forced him to hold back and he could only look at Hoss coldly.
If it weren't for Black Overwatch, could Midland have defended Saint-Rémy with its few weapons?
"Everyone, listen to me."
Theodore suddenly spoke, his voice calm but not to be ignored.
He stood up, walked to the center of the long table, and glanced at everyone present.
"I understand the two ambassadors' proposals. But I think we can find a compromise."
He pointed to the map on the table and said:
"My suggestion is to divide the two countries into different regions, and Black Watch will accept different types of contracts in different regions. For example, in the war zone between the two countries, it can only accept official war missions. In the area directly governed by Helderland, it is responsible for connecting with officials and accepting tasks from them. In the lord's territory, it will be hired by the local lord."
"The key is that these missions can only be carried out within designated areas, and Black Watch will not accept missions that attack civilians. I wonder what you two think."
Hoth and Ambassador Yoda were lost in thought.
Theodore's proposal not only met their restrictions on Blackwatch, but also retained the profit margin of the mercenary group. It seemed to be a win-win result.
Ambassadors Hoss and Yoda pondered for a moment, then said they needed to consult their respective capitals.
A few days later, the three parties met again.
This time, the two ambassadors brought responses from the top leaders of the two countries - they accepted Theodore's proposal.
After some discussion, the final agreement was reached:
1. Blackwatch can only accept certain types of contracts in certain areas and cannot cross those boundaries.
2. Each base must submit monthly bills, recording the date, amount, employer, and mission content to prevent collusion with the enemy.
3. The area within ten miles around the Black Watch stronghold is a neutral zone and no army is allowed to enter with weapons.
4. The armies of the two countries shall not harm the citizens of Helmingen in the war zone and must send them to the Black Watch stronghold.
Based on these four articles, the two countries signed a series of treaties with Black Watch, including the location of bases, employment fees, compliance with local laws, etc. Then Theodore handed the agreement to John. John and the ministers went over the agreement several times and signed it after confirming that it was in the national interest.
Finally, representatives of the three countries signed the agreement, and Blackwatch officially became a multinational mercenary group with its sphere of influence spanning the continent, realizing John's original vision from more than a decade ago.
A month later, the news of the signing of the treaty spread quietly across the borders of Midland and Yoda like a spring stream.
In Mond Town in the east of Midland, the first town to start trading with John's territory, the bluestone-paved main street is crowded with merchants and Helderland citizens who live here.
On the street corner, a newsboy held up a newspaper and shouted:
"Come and see! The three nations of Helderland, Mitland, and Yoda have signed a new treaty! Blackwatch has successfully entered the Yoda Empire!"
The childish voice was wrapped in white mist and penetrated the damp morning fog.
In front of the grocery store, Griffith was taking a bag of coarse salt handed to him by the boss, and his fingertips suddenly stopped when he heard the words.
The four big words "Black Watch" on the edge of the newspaper caught his eye. He subconsciously clenched the sack of salt, and the coarse hemp fibers squeezed into his palms.
"What's wrong Griffith?"
Jiedu came out of the shop carrying two water bags, with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. Seeing Griffith staring blankly into the distance, he couldn't help but ask.
"Bibin is still waiting for us in the tavern."
"Oh... nothing."
Griffith quickly came back to his senses. He forced a smile, but his eyes were still following the newspaper boy's running back.
"Just thought of something."
Jiedu glanced at him suspiciously, but saw Griffith quickly catching up.
In the morning mist, the two people's voices gradually faded into the noisy streets.