Chapter 015: The Meeting

Du Fan met Ferre and his party in the side hall of Duke Green’s residence. Although Duke Green’s household had always disdained extravagance, tonight, Old Mark—perhaps truly worried that his young master might starve to death in the imperial city—had prepared a surprisingly lavish dinner. When Du Fan saw the long table laden with roasted pigs, ducks, and whole sheep, he wasn’t necessarily disgusted, but he couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Watching the eager smiles of the servants behind him, he couldn’t just tell them to take everything away and send them off. He could only sit there with a knife and fork, lost in thought, unsure of what to eat. Fortunately, soon Ferre and the others arrived in the side hall under Old Mark’s guidance. Ferre remained as before—kneeling halfway and offering a knightly salute upon seeing Du Fan. Yet faintly, Du Fan felt that his demeanor seemed more composed than before. The few former Temple Knights following him also knelt down respectfully. Finally, there was Miss Selina. Over these days, she seemed much thinner than before, but her temperament appeared calmer, as if some of her sharpness had worn away… It seemed these experiences had made Miss Selina grow significantly. Du Fan was quite satisfied looking at these men who could be considered his direct subordinates. He smiled slightly, gestured, and pointed to the end of the table, saying, “Sit down too… It’s been a long time since we last met. Let’s eat first, and discuss the rest later.” The others didn’t dare respond. Only Ferre said solemnly, “Lord Du Fan, there is a proper hierarchy between master and servant. Ferre and the others dare not overstep their bounds.” Du Fan raised his eyebrows slightly and said, “I told you to sit down—why so many words? Do you expect to wait until I get angry before coming?” Ferre’s face twisted slightly, but he finally nodded and said, “Then, your subordinates will obey out of respect!” With that, they stood up, walked to the table, and sat down. Servants promptly brought utensils, but they all looked cautious, lacking any semblance of appetite. Du Fan knew he couldn’t force them, so he simply waved them off and began eating on his own. The utterly dull meal ended before it could last long.

Du Fan held a delicate teacup in his hands and took a few sips. The tea inside was black tea freshly delivered from the Green family’s fiefdom. Although it didn’t taste great, its rarity lay in its freshness—lacking the bitter taste of dried tea smuggled in from the Lanny Empire, which greatly satisfied Du Fan. He took a few more sips before setting down the cup. Looking at his subordinates, who all wore respectful expressions, he smiled faintly after a moment and said, “Feyre, I heard you’ve accomplished a great feat this time. Even Father is ready to reward you… Tell me, what exactly is this great feat?”

At these words, Feyre’s expression changed. He couldn’t help but kneel on one knee and said solemnly, “Young master, I’m incompetent. Please punish me!”

Du Fan smiled. “I heard it was you who went to the citadel with the family’s orders to summon the northern army… If not for you, both Father and I would likely have been trapped in the imperial city. So, don’t say you’re guiltless. Even if you are, it might be offset… Enough about this. Tell me, how did you fare with the task I assigned you?”

Feyre looked panicked and said, “I’m incompetent and failed to complete the task!”

Du Fan frowned slightly and asked, “Has that guy Evan denied it? Or did you fail to find him?”

Feyre replied in a low voice, “I did find Viscount Evan… But before we could finish the task, we were captured by a group of rebels. It was only recently that I learned it was the remnants of the Bauhinia Dynasty who captured us…”

“What about Viscount Evan?”

“If I’m not mistaken, Viscount Evan seems to have a close connection with the remnants of the Bauhinia Dynasty. After we were captured, we saw Oscar meeting with Viscount Evan several times… It seems there’s more to this…”

Du Fan waved his hand to stop him from continuing.

That Viscount Evan could be considered the best arms dealer on the continent… If he met with Oscar, it was likely he provided weapons to the remnants of the Bauhinia Dynasty. Otherwise, obtaining equipment for tens of thousands of cavalry in a place like the North wouldn’t be so easy. It seems the forces behind Viscount Evan are also quite formidable…

As for Feyre and the others being captured, it was probably because they accidentally witnessed this. But why didn’t Oscar kill them?

Seeming to notice Du Fan’s confusion, Feray continued, “After we were captured, Oscar’s men were quite polite to us. Even before they left for the capital, they specifically let us go, asking me to deliver a message to you, Young Master Du Fan.”
Du Fan frowned and asked, “What message?”
Feray replied, “Oscar said that you are one of the few people he respects. If possible, he doesn’t want to go against you. If you do nothing, he promises that the Green family’s power will remain unchanged.”
Du Fan couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Oscar had already fled to the north, yet he heard these words—uncertain whether to be happy or sad.
After pondering for a moment, Du Fan said calmly, “Alright, get up now… But remember, you must think of all this as completely forgotten from now on. I never sent you to the north, and you never met Oscar. Do you understand what I mean?”
After all, Prince Fisher was surely trying every means to deal with him. If he found out that Du Fan still had a connection with Oscar, he might face serious trouble in the future. With a label of rebellion slapped on him, he wouldn’t be able to escape!
If it were someone else, they might have already silenced these subordinates by now.
But Du Fan only had these few loyal followers at the moment. What would happen if they all died? They were his core team!
Although Feray and the others didn’t understand why Du Fan said this, they weren’t fools. They immediately nodded and said, “Yes, Young Master… We will forget everything.”
Seeing their nods, Du Fan seemed a bit happier. He casually pointed to the chairs in the room and nodded, saying, “Sit down and talk.”
The men sat down cautiously.
Du Fan clapped his hands again, signaling the servants to bring in black tea. Then, stroking his hands, he looked at the composed Feray and asked, “Feray, I want to ask you… If given enough money, how long would it take you to train a elite cavalry force? And one that is absolutely loyal to me…”
Feray’s expression shifted slightly. He had naturally heard rumors about Du Fan being made a duke. With that title, Du Fan would surely want to form his own private army… So it was normal for him to ask such a question now.
But asking Feray about this… the implication behind it was clear…

Ferei couldn’t help but feel a bit excited, but he still nodded and said, “Young master, training cavalry isn’t something that can be accomplished in a day or two. And to ensure their absolute loyalty also takes time… However, it’s not difficult to train a combat-ready army, it’s just…”
“What just?” Du Fan asked, his expression shifting.
“It’s just that the army trained this way, though capable in battle, lacks absolute loyalty. It’s fine in normal times, but in times of crisis, it might cause quite a few problems.”
Du Fan frowned and said, “Even the Temple Knights’ training methods won’t work?”
Ferei shook his head. “Young master, it’s not that I’m trying to discourage you, but Temple Knights are chosen from among those with absolute loyalty, usually when they’re still young. It takes nearly ten years of training to produce one Temple Knight. If you plan to do this… I’m afraid… even I won’t be able to help you, unless…”
“Unless what?”
Ferei chuckled lightly. “Unless Lord Anthony agrees to let you select people from the Temple Knights’ training camp.”
Selecting people from the training camp… That seems like a good option!
After being granted a title, if I really choose the south, I’ll definitely need my own army. I can’t rely on the Southern Legion, and the Northern Legion likely has limited troops I can deploy. So if I don’t train my own army… it will be impossible…
As for asking Anthony for troops… I probably can’t get many, but maybe I can manage to get a few dozen…
With my family’s army as well, I might have some strength after all. But forming and training a private army is also an absolute necessity!