245: Chapter 141, Mysterious Meeting_2 245: Chapter 141, Mysterious Meeting_2 At the thought of this, he couldn’t help admiring Hudson.
Though born into a small nobility, he had climbed up speedily!
He had suddenly become the pillar of the clan.
Once war broke out, all branches would rally around him.
His family alone could form an army.
Add to that the hangers-on, fence-sitters, and a few willing friends and family groups; they might even round up two armies.
While the combat effectiveness of this hastily-arranged unit is questionable, as reinforcements for the front line, they are tasked with city defense most of the time.
The top brass of the kingdom wasn’t stupid.
Using the forces of the small and medium nobles to counter an orcish onslaught was utterly ludicrous.
Just by looking at the dense network of castles at the northern border, one could tell that the Alpha Kingdom’s main strategy against the orc invasion was defense.
In certain crucial fortresses, sufficient food and water were stored to sustain the army for three years.
The ones pitted against the Orc Army were the kingdom’s standing army and the major nobles’ elite forces.
“With great power, comes great responsibility.”
That wasn’t a joke.
Were it not for the Alpha Kingdom rallying together whenever a crisis emerged, it would have been annihilated by the Orcs ten times over already.
…
In the Maple Domain, upon receiving the message, Baron Katelai’s face turned even gloomier.
It was as though he were cursed.
Ever since he ventured southwards, everything seemed to go wrong.
Several times he had plotted and planned, but all ended in failure.
His remarkable crisis management skills might have saved him from loss, but a failure was still a failure.
Frankly, among the territories in the two counties, the development in the Maple Domain wasn’t bad at all.
But in comparison to next-door Mountain Domain, the development in Maple Domain didn’t appear impressive.
In times of peace, slow development wouldn’t be an issue.
Katelai had made peace with not comparing himself to his prosperous neighbor.
Regrettably, the mounting tension in the Northland shattered Baron Katelai’s illusions.
“Uncle Holman, do you reckon I should accept West’s approach to alliance?”
Nobles have no permanent adversaries.
Once the Prefectural Governor’s position was determined, Katelai was no longer a competitor of West.
Especially after the opposing faction’s force suffered major losses, the two sides were not on an equal footing and Katelai did not even qualify as a competitor.
As a non-competitor, Baron Katelai gained the value of being courted.
The excellent troops under his command were the best bargaining chips.
No returning to his domain in a short period was the only concern, but the moment war broke out, that would no longer be a problem.
“Katelai, this is a judgment only you can make.
In terms of strategic vision, no one among the young generation of our clan could beat you.
You posed this question probably because you’ve lost faith in West’s growth prospects given the current situation.
But our identity status is quite awkward.
If we intend to return to our clan, then we will be back at square one.
The Northland is not a place we can stay for long, as the divination from our forefathers suggested.
Just because nothing happened for so many years doesn’t mean that nothing will happen to the clan.
The younger generation of nobility has mostly been sent out.
Apparently, the clan has sensed the danger.
As per my status, I have limited knowledge.
There might be more perilous situations that we shouldn’t reveal.”
Said Knight Holman after some thought.
They initially presumed the southern nobles as easy targets and that they would stabilize their footing quickly after moving south.
Unfortunately, their luck was really bad.
They met powerful neighbors, forcing them to abide by the rules.
“Uncle Holman, you misunderstood.
After barely escaping the whirlpool of the Northlands, how could I put myself back there?
The problem is that West is having a hard time as well.
The strongest force in Layton County is our neighbor.
You should be well aware of how strong the Mountain Domain is.
The accumulation of the Koslow Family can underpin an intermediate aristocracy, and Hudson’s personal ability is even more commendable.
I fear that once the war begins in the North, West will be expelled.
After all, annexing a ripe territory is much easier than exploration.”
Baron Katelai said hesitantly.
The Prefectural Governor not only enjoys the profits but also has to take on the relevant obligations.
Leave alone anything else, it is still uncertain whether taxes can be collected.
Even if they have people in the capital, they are still beyond reach.
The Governor’s Mansion will only put pressure on West and will not send personnel to help him collect taxes from the native nobles.
If they fail to do so, the Governor’s Mansion will transfer the task to others capable of doing it.
Katelai did not doubt for a moment that Hudson would be able to convince the senior executives of the Province.
If the tax-raising rights are gone, it is equivalent to losing financial rights.
The kingdom will not provide salaries for the prefectural officials.
Their incomes are all derived from the taxes.
It’s not just fiscal authority, but if a war breaks out and an army has to be formed for expedition, if the native nobles play by themselves, West would lose most of his military power.
A Prefectural Governor who has lost both fiscal and military authority is just a rubber stamp.
He can’t take care of his subordinates, and he may even be targeted.
“Are you thinking about switching sides?”
Knight Holman asked in surprise.
Without waiting for Baron Katelai to answer, he quickly added another question:
“What is the Mountain Viscount offering?”
For the nobles, choosing sides has never been an issue.
Although they come from the Northland, it’s only a loose alliance.
What can come together for profit can also disband for profit.
They’re not West’s vassals and have never submitted to him, so naturally there is no question of betrayal.
As long as the profits are right for switching sides, Holman doesn’t see it as a problem.
It’s just like the wavering native nobles trying to curry favor with West.
“If he had quoted a price, I would have felt better.
From the beginning to end, the Viscount has only been releasing goodwill covertly.
It should be the pressure from the native nobles’ camp that makes him indecisive.
Perhaps after the outbreak of war, the environment will be more lenient towards us.
Not only me, most of the Northland nobles have also received implications.
Now, West has made no move, I don’t know if he is really unaware or pretending to be confused.”
Baron Katelai helplessly said.
That’s the most vexing point, only releasing goodwill without discussing benefits.
This kind of attempt at winning their favor is the most wearisome.
Agree to it and fear the treatment won’t match, consigned to cannon fodder status.
Refuse and worry about nobles of the same camp switching sides, leading to being squeezed out together with West.
…
Bera City
Stepping into this familiar place again, Hudson’s status has drastically changed.
The imperial edict from the capital has caused a great uproar among the high-level officials in the Southeastern Province.
In order to cope with the future situation, Earl Piers has convened this high-level meeting.
As the representative of Layton County, Hudson has the honor of being invited.
No matter how much friction exists at home, once on the battlefield of the Northern Border, everyone is still the best of allies.
Teaming up with familiar people, at the very least provides some understanding and ability to gauge each other’s bottom line.
Nobles like Hudson with a good reputation who never betray their comrades have always been the most popular.
The smiles from everyone’s eyes showed that they were very happy to have him join.
A quick glance at the participants and Hudson found that out of everyone present, other than himself representing Layton County in place of Viscount West, everyone else were Prefectural Governors.
Adding Viscount Caryo, out of the fifteen prefectures in the Southeastern Province, seven seats belong to the Dalton Family.
Their reputation as the number one clan in the province is fully deserved.
…
“This is the information collected by the Governor’s Mansion, you can pass it around to each other, but any disclosure of the information to outsiders is prohibited.
This confidentiality contract has been drafted by an Alchemist Master.
Before the meeting officially begins, kindly sign this,” said Earl Piers seriously.
Trust doesn’t exist.
Compared to everyone’s integrity, Governor Piers evidently trusts the power of a magic contract more.
Perhaps this is why everyone can cooperate closely on the battlefield.
With the constraint of the magic contract, violating the agreement results in a heavy price.
The bigger the figure, the more they cherish their life.
Except in desperate situations, few people are willing to stake their own lives for breaching a contract.
Confirming that the contract is limited to maintaining permanent confidentiality of the conversation and there are no other traps, Hudson also signed his name.
In a flash, he felt an additional constraint on himself.
However, this feeling was fleeting, clearly the power of the contract.
If he doesn’t violate the agreement, naturally this mysterious power will not be triggered.
As for what happens if he does violate the agreement, Hudson still wants to live and is not planning on intentionally causing trouble.
Pulling out such artifacts, Hudson grew more interested in the upcoming conversation.
But after reading the circulating information, Hudson was totally shocked.
…