Choices

"Other than the nobles near the front line, who were organizing defenses in place, the noble armies from all regions had already set out and were expected to arrive at the front in succession within the next five to ten days.

"The nobles of the Hansen region were currently the closest to us, only eighty-odd li away, but their marching speed was downright snail-like, covering less than ten li a day.

"The nobles from Warren, Kadar, Arbor, and other regions were also less than one hundred and twenty li away. Yet they had deliberately slowed their march, traveling no more than twenty li a day."

As soon as the middle-aged officer finished speaking, Count Pierce's fury erupted. This was simply outrageous. The summons had been issued more than half a month ago, yet the reinforcements were still on the road.

Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought the Southeast Province was vast, but in truth, even the farthest noble territory from Ethel Fortress was less than four hundred li away.

Such a short distance, and they had dawdled for more than half a month without arriving. No wonder Count Pierce was angry.

But anger was one thing. Before the Rebel Army rose up, he had sat back and watched the tigers fight, hoping to profit as a third party. That dirty business could not be brought into the open. The nobles' current response was the backlash from those very deeds.

The fate of the nobles of the two counties of Light and Wharton had made the small and mid-sized nobles within the Southeast Province wary of him.

There was never any shortage of clever people in this world. If Hudson could analyze the problem, other nobles could also discover clues.

To protect themselves, everyone naturally resorted to their own methods. Although Count Pierce had ordered the news sealed, that was utterly useless against nobles determined to gather information.

There was no helping it. All nobles were one family. Though Count Pierce was the greatest noble in the Southeast Province, most of the knights under his command came from small and mid-sized noble families.

Perhaps these people would not betray their liege, but it was entirely possible for them to pass a little intelligence back to their own families. Surely no one expected everyone to be one hundred percent loyal?

"Idiots!"

"They're all a bunch of idiots!"

"The longer they drag this out, the stronger the Rebel Army will become. When the fighting starts, they'll suffer for it..."

Count Pierce raged.

Deep down, he had already decided to teach these small and mid-sized nobles, who obeyed in public and defied him in private, a harsh lesson.

But thinking was one thing; putting it into practice was another matter entirely. Every one of them was dragging their feet, leaving him, their leader, to hold the front line and fight the Rebel Army to the death.

No matter how many schemes he had, there was nothing he could do if they simply refused to come.

He could hardly let the Rebel Army pass through and make trouble for those nobles, could he?

If he really did that, the nobles would probably be overjoyed. Given the Rebel Army's methods, they would slaughter their way across the land, and the Dalton Family would be finished.

Nobles enjoyed many privileges, but they also bore corresponding obligations. One only had to look at the nobles of Light and Wharton Counties—almost all of them had died on the battlefield.

Even if there were survivors who slipped through the net, they were still considered "dead" in the world of nobles. Defending one's territory was a noble's most basic duty. It was not something they could simply run away from.

Losing one's territory was equivalent to losing everything as a noble. Noble status and family honor would all be wiped out in one blow. Cruel reality forced them to stay and fight for their lives.

Of course, family members living elsewhere did not count. They were the seeds of the family. Should something unforeseen happen, noble descendants abroad could still inherit the title and restore the family.

"Your Excellency the Governor, now is not the time to assign blame. Our most urgent task is to urge the nobles of every region to bring their troops here as quickly as possible.

"Although Ethel Fortress is strong, it cannot completely stop the Rebel Army's advance. If the enemy bypasses the fortress and splits off troops to cause trouble in Beda, we will be in serious trouble."

The middle-aged officer reminded him.

This was not alarmism. The Rebel Army had no need to follow the rules of the game. In any case, they had no stable rear area, so whether their supply route remained secure did not really matter to them.

If it came to that, whether Count Pierce was willing or not, he would have no choice but to draw upon the Dalton Family's reserves and fight the Rebel Army to the bitter end.

After hesitating for a moment, Count Pierce came to his senses. He looked toward the Rebel Army camp beyond the fortress walls, hardened his heart, and said, "Pass down the order: all nobles are to arrive within three days.

"Tell them that the lands ravaged by the Rebel Army in Wharton and Light Counties are waiting for them to claim. So long as they render great merit in the coming battles, those ownerless fiefs will be their spoils of war.

"I guarantee on the honor of the Dalton Family that I will report truthfully to the Royal Capital and ensure that every meritorious subject receives treatment worthy of their contributions."

He had caused this trouble himself, so he had to bear it himself. If he wanted to remain in noble society, there were certain rules he had to follow.

To salvage the situation, Count Pierce had no choice but to pay a heavy price. After all, this affair had grown too large for his family alone to contain.

Even if he wanted to swallow the lands of the two counties whole, the Royal Capital would never agree.

If he did not find a way to bring the local nobles in and have them share the responsibility, the Dalton Family would not be able to withstand the pressure. The royal family might even intervene.

If the royal family found something to use against him and seized the opportunity to enfeoff a prince here, then who ruled the Southeast Province would become difficult to say.

Count Pierce had not become a regional lord for nothing. After sorting out the interests involved, he decisively made his choice.

Once their daily progress slowed to barely ten li, the march became more like sightseeing. The tense atmosphere of war faded away, while an air of leisure grew stronger by the day.

As they traveled, the alliance's ranks rapidly expanded, with more and more nobles joining the group.

More people did not necessarily mean greater strength, but it certainly meant better information. As everyone used their connections to investigate deliberately, more and more news arrived, and they gradually understood what had happened.

With the information out in the open, the nobles, Hudson included, all set aside their worries.

After observing a moment of silence for the unlucky nobles of Light and Wharton Counties, everyone launched into fierce criticism of Count Pierce, wishing they could eat his flesh and drink his blood.

Naturally, it was limited to verbal criticism. Getting them to step forward and seek justice was another matter. After all, they were all clever people who knew exactly how much they were capable of.

The only thing they could do was continue dragging their feet.

Since Count Pierce had allowed the rebellion to grow, he had to clean up the mess. Otherwise, when the kingdom held someone accountable, he would not escape punishment.

With someone holding the front line, and the Rebel Army unable to ravage their own territories, no one was in a hurry.

As for missing the deadline, they had long prepared an excuse—harassment by the Rebel Army.

If they said the Rebel Army had attacked them, then it had attacked them. The truth did not matter.

Count Pierce bore an inescapable responsibility for this rebellion, which was a ready-made weakness. He had no way to investigate the matter too deeply.

Only when Count Pierce's military order arrived once more did the situation change. Unlike before, when service was purely an obligation, there was now a promise of tangible rewards.