Fiefs held an incomparable allure for nobles. Among the nobles of the counties of Wright and Wighton, more than one or two families had lost their heirs. With such a huge piece of cake falling into their laps, it was impossible not to be tempted.
A moment ago, everyone had still been sympathizing with the tragic fate of the nobles from the two counties. The next, they were already sharpening their knives, eager to carve off a piece for themselves.
Even Count Pierce, whom everyone had been vehemently condemning, suddenly seemed much more imposing in their eyes.
Their curses, criticism, and denunciations had stemmed not only from the complex feeling of mourning the fate of their own kind, but more importantly from the Dalton Family monopolizing everything.
Now that Count Pierce had promised to share the meat with everyone, the situation was completely different.
If it had merely been a personal promise, everyone might still have doubted him. After all, Count Pierce's character was hardly admirable, and he could go back on his word at any time.
But once he had staked his family's honor on it, things became entirely different. No noble would dare make a joke of their family's honor.
In a world where honor ranked above life itself, the cost of breaking an agreement was simply too high. Once it happened, one could only withdraw from noble society.
Seeing the eager looks in his allies' eyes, Hudson knew he could not stop them. If they could not restrain the greed in their hearts, something major was bound to happen next.
If the Rebel Army had been so easy to deal with, why would Count Pierce offer to share the benefits with everyone?
As one of the kingdom's great noble houses, the Dalton Family was no pushover. Whether in strength or connections, it was far beyond the small nobles in the alliance.
As long as they swiftly crushed the rebellion and gave the kingdom no chance to intervene, even if they could not monopolize the land of the two counties, they could at least swallow half a county.
Yet now, they were generously putting it up for everyone to share and drawing them all in. The Dalton Family would be fortunate to receive even a tenth, perhaps even less.
There had been countless marriages between noble families. Even if every noble family in the two counties had lost its heirs, relatives could still step in.
Those thousands of miles away might be beyond reach for the time being, but local nobles with familial ties would not give up.
It would have been fine if they had been kept out. But once they were allowed into the game, a fierce struggle would be unavoidable.
No matter how distant the relationship, as long as it conformed to kingdom law and established a line of inheritance, one could step forward to contest the succession. Only after everyone had fought over the inheritance would the remaining unclaimed land become spoils that could truly be divided.
Even Hudson was sorting through his web of relatives, searching for nobles in those two counties whom his family could claim ties with.
At a time like this, the Coslo Family's advantage in numbers became apparent. They found not only several families connected by marriage, but even two branches of the same clan.
Of course, that alone was not enough. Once a connection had been established, they still had to consider the order of succession.
Under the normal order of inheritance, it was basically impossible for Hudson's turn to come.
But there were exceptions to everything. As long as the other side had no direct heir, the succession order among distant collateral relatives became a tangled mess.
With the support of a great noble house, they could seize the title before the other heirs had time to react, creating an accomplished fact.
There would certainly be trouble afterward, but compared with a noble title, taking some risks was worthwhile. At worst, they could argue it out slowly afterward. As long as the beneficiaries endorsed and recognized one another, it would become an account no one could straighten out.
The main issue was that all the kingdom's land already had owners, and the established interest groups had set an extremely high threshold for newcomers. The merit from putting down a rebellion would at most create a few knights.
To gain a noble title through military achievements, one had to win in a foreign war, and the fief had to lie on an unstable border.
Otherwise, the moment Count Pierce showed goodwill, everyone would not have immediately changed their political stance.
The discussion became so heated that some impatient nobles had already brought out their treasured maps, clamoring to divide the spoils in advance as though the Rebel Army did not exist.
Knight Chels, the nominal leader, was utterly unable to control the situation. What should have been an alliance gathering had directly turned into a marketplace full of haggling.
Hudson did not rush to join the discussion. The land of Wighton and Wright Counties was indeed vast, but there were simply too many wolves wanting a share of the meat.
It was impossible to satisfy everyone, and no conclusion could possibly be reached now. Even if they managed to force through an agreement, it would not count for much.
At its core, the temporary alliance represented only a small fraction of the nobles. Even if they could band together for warmth, their voice remained limited. It was impossible for everything to go their way.
"Stop!"
"Everyone, now is not the time to discuss such matters. The governor's military order clearly requires us to reach the front within three days. If we fail to arrive on time, even if we are not punished, the final spoils will likely have nothing to do with us.
"By my calculation, Ethel Fortress is still more than a hundred li away. We simply do not have any extra time to waste.
"As for the fiefs everyone is concerned about, I do not think there is any point discussing them now. There are so many nobles in the Southeast Province that no amount of spoils could possibly be enough for everyone.
"This means that only a small number will get what they want. If we want a distribution plan that convinces everyone, military achievements will ultimately have to speak for themselves."
Chers's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over the crowd. The lively scene instantly fell silent.
No one was a fool. They had merely been overwhelmed by emotion upon receiving such sudden good news. Now that they had calmed down, they immediately realized the seriousness of the problem.
Count Pierce was no easy man to deal with. For him to offer such immense benefits for everyone to divide, he was obviously asking them to risk their lives for him.
Without sufficient military merit, they would likely not even qualify to sit at the table.
Inheritance rights?
Everyone recognized direct heirs. That was the rule of the game. But distant collateral heirs required a proper discussion.
No one had sprung out of a crack in a rock. Whose family did not have a whole crowd of relatives?
There were countless people qualified to contest inheritance rights. If you could not produce something convincing, why should you be allowed to pick up such a bargain?
When core interests were involved, no one would yield easily. Even former allies could become rivals the next moment.
These were all open schemes laid before them. If they wanted to fight for the inheritance left behind by nobles without heirs, they had to risk their lives on the battlefield.
Even Hudson had to admit that Count Pierce had made a brilliant move, suddenly bringing a chessboard that had been stuck in a passive position to life.
The varied reactions of the crowd made it clear that everyone was prepared to invest heavily this time. If nothing unexpected happened, the next step would be to unleash the great summoning technique and bring over their families' main forces.
The Southeast Province was not particularly large. In theory, if they sent the news back now, most nobles' elites could arrive before the group reached the front.
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