Now we have an official quota
Magnus Valorion learned from Basil Lekapenos that Edmund Hale reported to Emperor Adrian Montague that Sinbad's men numbered about three thousand.
It was then that Magnus Valorion realized that the families in Willowbrook Town had grossly exaggerated their power. He had initially only brought over 200 men, but they had inflated the numbers by more than tenfold.
"Good people, really good people. The Blackthorn family, the Ravenswood Family, and the Hawthorne Family in Willowbrook Town are all good people. I must go thank them someday!"
Alp Arslan wanted Magnus Valorion to negotiate with Sinbad about surrendering to the court with mere words, without mentioning any conditions. If Magnus Valorion successfully negotiated terms that the court couldn't fulfill, it was clear that Alp Arslan wanted Magnus to die.
But the old fox Alp Arslan never calculated that Magnus Valorion was Sinbad, and Sinbad was Magnus Valorion. Moreover, this ferocious "Sinbad" didn't even have three thousand men. Even though Green River Town had more people now and Magnus had recruited more soldiers, his City Guard and Security Brigade combined still didn't exceed a thousand men.
The old fox Alp Arslan wanted Magnus Valorion to subdue "Sinbad," which to others seemed like sending Magnus to his death. But to Magnus, this clearly meant Alp Arslan was handing him the registration of thousands of soldiers!
The soldiers Magnus recruited for the City Guard and Security Brigade were ostensibly for town protection but were actually his private soldiers. If anyone accused Magnus of raising a private army with the intent of rebellion, he would be definitely punished by the court.
This was the political correctness of a centralized monarchy. The Emperor, as the ruler of the nation, didn't care about the purpose of recruiting soldiers. As long as there were uncontrollable factors, they had to be eradicated at the earliest stage.
Not only Magnus Valorion but even the City Guard and Security Brigade soldiers would be executed in public if someone accused them of rebellion.
If it weren't for Green River Town being too remote, too poor, and too neglected, no officials would have noticed the situation there. Even when Royal Overseer Edmund Hale came to investigate, Magnus had to temporarily move his City Guard and Security Brigade to construction sites to avoid detection.
Fortunately, the remoteness and poverty of Green River Town gave Magnus enough time to develop slowly.
But things were different now. Alp Arslan had gifted him the registration of three thousand soldiers, allowing him to train troops openly.
Moreover, with an official quota of three thousand soldiers, the actual number of soldiers would be at Sinbad's discretion!
Furthermore, having an official quota meant having monthly salaries. Although Magnus didn't know the exact pay for soldiers in the Great Latium Imperium, at least it was a definite number.
When Basil Lekapenos returned, John Falstaff also came back with Galen Veritas. Magnus Valorion gave John Falstaff an important task to open a shop in the capital with Basil Lekapenos and develop an intelligence network.
As for the surrender of "Sinbad," Magnus wasn't in a hurry. Negotiations couldn't be concluded quickly. Magnus had to first complain about difficulties; otherwise, if the task went too smoothly, the Emperor might think it was too easy.
About a week after Basil Lekapenos left, Magnus remembered to write a memorial to Emperor Adrian Montague to report the progress of subduing "Sinbad."
In the memorial, Magnus wrote:
"Your Majesty, the evil Sinbad leads over five thousand men, rampaging through the northern border, unstoppable between Green River Town and Willowbrook Town, growing more ferocious. I have tried to negotiate surrender several times but almost lost my life. Fortunately, under Your Majesty's grace, I am unharmed. I implore Your Majesty to send imperial troops to suppress this villain, to uphold the court's dignity and ease the people's hearts."
This memorial was initially not meant to reach Emperor Adrian Montague, but Alp Arslan deliberately reported it to the Emperor to attack Royal Preceptor Edmund Aldrich's faction.
Magnus's interactions with Sinbad without being killed and instead returning embarrassed was exactly what Alp Arslan's faction enjoyed seeing. It served as a warning to others.
Although Magnus's memorial never mentioned danger, Royal Overseer Edmund Hale imagined the peril of the negotiations.
Edmund Hale quickly advised, "Your Majesty, Sinbad is arrogant and defies the court. Please dispatch imperial troops to suppress him and bring peace to the northern border."
Daruq Arslan was the first to oppose: "Your Majesty, according to Magnus Valorion's report, he had multiple contacts with the bandit leader and returned safely. This suggests Sinbad fears the imperial might and is inclined to surrender."
Emperor Adrian Montague, sitting on the throne, also found Daruq Arslan's words reasonable and nodded in agreement.
"Your Majesty, why not appoint Magnus Valorion as the town mayor to negotiate Sinbad's surrender? His soldiers could be given the registration of three thousand men, allowing him to form a new army to guard Green River Town. Wouldn't this be a perfect solution?"
"But what about the extra two thousand men? Offering such unreasonable terms is clearly to provoke Sinbad into harming a loyal court official!" Edmund Hale asked anxiously.
However, Emperor Adrian Montague found Daruq Arslan's plan reasonable and coldly said, "Let's proceed with Daruq Arslan's plan."
"Your Majesty, reconsider! This will cost the court a loyal official!" Royal Overseer Edmund Hale pleaded, hoping the Emperor would first send troops to suppress Sinbad.
Emperor Adrian Montague, known for his cruel and violent nature, was enraged by Edmund Hale's repeated objections and directly rebuked, "Bold Edmund Hale, do you think I am incapable of judging such a small matter? You dare to contradict me repeatedly!"
"Guards! Drag this disrespectful Edmund Hale out and give him fifty strokes of the cane!"
No one dared to advise the enraged Emperor Adrian Montague. Many had suffered from the cane for advising him before.
Fifty strokes were unbearable for the nearly fifty-year-old Royal Overseer Edmund Hale. As expected, Edmund Hale couldn't withstand the 27th stroke and died.
When Basil Lekapenos reported this to Emperor Adrian Montague, he felt no discomfort, as if he had squashed a fly. Adrian even remarked on Edmund Hale's weak body, unable to withstand fifty strokes.