Interests Move People's Hearts

The appeal of fiefdoms to nobles was unparalleled. With the nobility of Wright and Whitton counties facing disaster and dying out, it wasn't just one or two families. Such a large piece of cake falling into their laps made it impossible not to be tempted.

One moment everyone was sympathizing with the tragic fate of the nobles in the two counties, and the next they were sharpening their knives, eager to get a piece of the action.

Even Count Pierce, who had been heavily criticized by everyone, suddenly seemed to grow taller in everyone's eyes.

The angry scolding, criticism, and condemnation, apart from the complex emotions of rabbits mourning the death of a fox, were mainly due to the Dalton Family hogging everything for themselves.

Now that Count Pierce had made a promise that everyone would share the spoils, the situation was completely different.

If it were just a personal promise, people might still be suspicious, as Count Pierce's character wasn't great and he could go back on his word at any time.

But when the honor of the family was pressed as a guarantee, the situation was entirely different. No noble dared to joke about their family's honor.

In a world where honor was valued above life, the cost of breaking a contract was too high. Once it happened, one could only retire from the game.

Seeing the eager eyes of his allies, Hudson knew he couldn't stop them. If they couldn't control their inner greed, something big was bound to happen.

If the rebels were easy to deal with, why would Count Pierce offer to share the benefits with everyone?

As one of the most prominent great nobles in the kingdom, the Dalton Family was not to be trifled with. Their strength and connections were far beyond those of the minor nobles in the alliance.

As long as they could quickly quell the rebellion and prevent the kingdom from intervening, even if they couldn't monopolize the land of the two counties, they could at least swallow half of one.

Now, by generously offering to share it with everyone and attracting them all, the Dalton Family would be lucky to get a tenth, or even less.

Nobles were constantly intermarrying. Even if the nobles of the two counties had died out, their relatives would step in.

Putting aside the issue of being too far away to intervene, the local nobles with connections would not give up.

It was better not to let them intervene, but once they entered the arena, a fierce struggle would be inevitable.

No matter how distant the relationship, as long as it complied with the kingdom's laws and there was a line of succession, they could step forward to claim inheritance rights. After everyone had fought over it, the remaining unclaimed land would be the real spoils to be divided.

Even Hudson was sorting through his network of relatives, looking for nobles in these two counties who had connections to his own family.

At this time, the advantage of the Coslo Family's large population became apparent. Not only did they find several in-law relationships, but they also had two relatives from the same clan.

Of course, this alone was not enough. After establishing connections, they still had to consider the order of inheritance.

According to the normal order of succession, it was basically not Hudson's turn.

However, there were exceptions to every rule. As long as the deceased had no direct heirs, the succession order for collateral relatives became a mess.

With the support of a great noble, one could seize the title before other heirs could react, creating a fait accompli.

There would certainly be repercussions, but compared to the same title, it was worth taking a risk. At worst, they could argue about it later. As long as the beneficiaries supported each other and acknowledged it, it would become a muddled account.

The main issue was that all the land in the kingdom was already claimed, and the established interest groups had set very high barriers for newcomers. The merit from quelling the rebellion would at most produce a few knights.

To gain a title through military merit, one had to achieve victory in a foreign war and have their fiefdom located in the unstable border regions.

Otherwise, Count Pierce wouldn't have shown such goodwill, and everyone would have immediately changed their political stance.

The discussion was so heated that some impatient nobles had already taken out their treasured maps, shouting about dividing the spoils in advance, as if the rebels didn't exist.

Knight Chels, as the nominal leader, couldn't control the situation at all. What should have been an alliance meeting had turned into a bargaining marketplace.

Hudson wasn't in a hurry to join the discussion. The area of Whitton and Wright counties was indeed not small, but there were too many wolves wanting to share the meat!

It was impossible to satisfy everyone, and it was destined that no conclusion could be reached through discussion. Even if a tentative agreement could be reached, it wouldn't be binding.

Ultimately, the temporary alliance was only a small part of the many nobles. Even if they could band together for warmth, their voice was still limited, and they couldn't have everything their way.

"Stop!"

"Everyone, now is not the time to discuss these matters. The Governor's military order clearly states that we must reach the front lines within three days. If we fail to arrive on time, even if we are not punished, we will likely lose our share of the final spoils.

Calculating the distance, we are still over a hundred miles from Ethel Fortress, and we have no extra time to waste.

As for the fiefdoms you are all concerned about, I don't think there's any point in discussing them now. There are so many nobles in the southeastern province, and no amount of spoils can be enough for everyone.

This means that only a few people will get their wishes. For the distribution plan to be convincing, it will ultimately come down to military achievements."

Chels's words were like a basin of cold water poured over everyone. The previously lively scene instantly fell silent.

No one was foolish. They had just received good news and got overly excited. Now that they had calmed down, they immediately realized the seriousness of the situation.

Count Pierce was not someone to be trifled with. Offering such great benefits to be divided clearly meant he wanted everyone to go and risk their lives.

Without sufficient military merit, they might not even qualify to sit at the table.

Inheritance rights?

Everyone recognized direct heirs; that was the rule of the game. Collateral relatives, however, would require some serious discussion.

No one just popped out of a rock; who didn't have a bunch of relatives?

There were plenty of people qualified to compete for inheritance rights. Without presenting something convincing, why should they be allowed to pick up this bargain?

When core interests were involved, no one would easily back down. Even former allies could become competitors in the next moment.

These were all open schemes laid out before them. If they wanted to compete for the inheritance left by the deceased nobles, they had to fight desperately on the battlefield.

Even Hudson had to admit that Count Pierce had made a good move, which had suddenly revitalized a passive game.

Judging by the varied reactions of the crowd, it was clear that they were prepared to go all out this time. If nothing unexpected happened, the next step would be to activate the great summoning technique and bring in the family's main forces.

The southeastern province was not too large. Theoretically, if the news was sent back now, most of the nobles' elites could arrive before everyone else reached the front lines.