A Crime Manufactured from Nothing
With the launch of the Blood Moon Defense Line project, Blood Moon County, a place with little presence in the Southeast Province, suddenly became the "number one" strategic location.
The plans for the Royal Capital were ultimately just ideas on paper. When it came to implementation, on-site surveys were still necessary.
At this moment, Governor Pierce is leading a group of nobles from the province to conduct an on-site inspection. Basically, all the nobles who can move are here today.
Unlike other provinces' defense lines, which require assistance from other provinces, the Blood Moon Defense Line planned by the Southeast Province was entirely self-funded.
The corresponding autonomy is also the highest; whether it is the selection of the location of the defense line or the design of its construction, it is all decided by the Southeast Province itself.
When it comes to spending your own money to protect your own territory, you can never be too careful.
A dragon's roar echoed, drawing everyone's attention. Although it wasn't the first time anyone had seen one, the Giant Dragon's awe-inspiring appearance still caused a sensation.
Governor Pierce frowned slightly, about to say something, but then swallowed his words.
The power and prestige of Dragon Knight are unmatched by any other magical beast. Even if their strength is comparable to that of Giant Dragon, the Giant Dragon they wield is far less.
With Giant Dragon helping him expand his influence, why not take advantage of it? It might seem like showing off, but in reality, it's about instilling the idea in everyone's minds that Lord Hudson is incredibly powerful.
Keeping a low profile is the way established aristocrats operate. Newly emerging powerful noble families must show their strength and continuously expand their influence in order to attract talent.
Moreover, as Dragon Knight, Hudson was already famous throughout the continent and was the center of attention wherever he went, so he couldn't possibly keep a low profile.
"Everyone's here, let's begin!"
After saying this, Governor Pierce followed the guide and walked directly to the front of the group, demonstrating with his actions that he was the true leader of the Southeast Province.
Upon seeing this, Hudson simply smiled faintly, showing no intention of challenging him.
Being the boss certainly means getting the biggest slice of the pie, but it also comes with corresponding responsibilities, and there will inevitably be a lot of messy and trivial matters.
Presiding over the construction of the Blood Moon Defense Line may seem like a high-ranking and lucrative position, but it concerns the life and death of the Dalton Family. Would Governor Pierce dare to tamper with it?
The entire Southeast Province is flat and open, with the only natural barrier being the Salam Mountain Range within the Hudson Territory.
If the Hessians were to invade, the Coslo Family could abandon Laite County and retreat to the swamps behind the Salam Mountain Range to continue their defense, but the Dalton Family would only be left with a bunch of castles on the plains.
Hudson was overjoyed to have someone help him with free work, so why would he jump out and compete for this arduous task?
As Hudson surveyed the Black Stone Mountain Range, his expression grew increasingly serious. The terrain in this area was not as treacherous as he had imagined.
They originally thought they could take advantage of the terrain to build a fortress on the mountaintop at the edge of the Black Stone Mountain Range, but when they arrived, they realized that it was just a pipe dream.
The mountains on both sides are very steep, but the forest in the narrowest part in the middle suddenly becomes low, looking like a corridor sandwiched between the mountains.
However, this corridor is somewhat special, with a length and width of nearly 100 kilometers. With a little modification, it can be transformed into a square.
It's not exactly flat, but the terrain in the middle of this "square" has very limited undulations and slopes.
No wonder the proposal to build the Blood Moon Defense Line went so smoothly; it seems Governor Pierce already knew that the terrain here was flat and could be used by large armies, and that fortifications had to be built to stop the enemy's advance.
"Governor Excellency, at least three lines of defense should be prepared here. In addition to the frontal defense, the defenses on the flanks and rear must also be strengthened."
The Black Forest Kingdom's monster legion is already well-established, with over a thousand Magical Beast Knight in its Standing Army alone. If you include the private armies of the nobles, the number could multiply several times over.
If war breaks out, and the enemy gathers thousands of Magical Beast Knights to bypass the Black Stone Mountain Range and launch a flanking attack on us from different directions, it is militarily feasible.
In addition to the defensive lines, beacon towers must also be erected along the Black Stone Mountain Range to guard against enemy surprise attacks.
Hudson said with a serious expression.
If the previous proposal to build the Blood Moon Defense Line was merely to buy time for our own peaceful development, now it is truly to prevent the enemy from invading from here.
"Cayo, record all of Count Hudson's opinions and list them as essential conditions for later construction."
Governor Pierce readily gave the order.
His own safety was at stake, and he dared not act rashly. If he didn't consider everything thoroughly and problems arose later, people could die.
Hudson set a good precedent, and many more nobles followed suit with their opinions. Governor Pierce instructed Viscount Cayou to record them all.
The only difference is that suggestions from Van Hudson were directly included in the essential elements for later implementation, while suggestions from others required further discussion and consultation.
There was obvious discrimination, yet no one objected, as if it were all taken for granted.
From the expressions on everyone's faces, Hudson also noticed that they wished he would offer a hundred or so suggestions at once to plug all the loopholes in the defense.
Even when opinions differed, Hudson's opinion was always followed in the end, and there was never a proper debate.
The nobles of the Southeast Province had more confidence in him than Hudson himself had in himself, almost to the point of blind obedience.
Of course, it is also possible that these nobles who came down from the battlefield were too self-aware and lacked confidence in their own abilities, so they placed their hopes on Hudson, this "famous general".
Since everyone trusts him so much, Hudson naturally won't be a liar. He doesn't care about the specifics of the construction; just make your requests.
For projects that serfs were unable to complete, knights and mages took their place. Although it didn't suit their noble status, it was a long-standing tradition of the Alpha Kingdom.
In the construction of a series of important defensive lines in the North, noble lords were often personally involved. Some projects were undertaken because the technology was insufficient, necessitating the use of extraordinary methods; others were undertaken to save time.
After more than half a month of hard work, a preliminary plan for the construction of the defense line finally appeared before everyone.
If you don't look closely, you might think it's a copy of the Blood Moon Castle defense line in the Northern Frontier.
Both the construction specifications and technical standards of the defensive lines are virtually identical. The only difference is that the Blood Moon Defense Line in the Southeast Province is much shorter than the Blood Moon Castle defensive line in the Northern Frontier.
There was no other way; the two Blood Moon Defense Line, one in the south and one in the north, were planned according to Lord Hudson's will, and it was hard not to imagine them.
It's worth mentioning that the Blood Moon Defense Line in the Northern Frontier was abandoned. Without the threat of the Beastfolk, the impoverished Alpha Kingdom had no incentive to continue investing heavily in its construction.
The winter of 99991 was a time of great activity in the Alpha Kingdom. Nobles in various regions were either building defensive lines or conducting large-scale military training in their territories, and some were even doing both at the same time.
It has been proven that human potential is often unleashed when people are forced to. Once noblemen are determined to do something, the energy they unleash is astonishing.
Aside from cutting back on daily expenses, everyone else continued living as usual, except for the serfs who suffered the most.
They thought they could finally rest during the winter, but their noble lord kept causing trouble, either sending them to construction sites or dragging them into military training.
Just as everyone was working diligently, the international situation suddenly took a dramatic turn. The Alpha Kingdom and the Black Forest Kingdom, which had been on the verge of conflict and ready to fight at any moment, suddenly stood together.
The Foreign Affairs Department of the two countries jointly announced that the latest investigation report on the assassination of Prince Claude points directly at the County of Corubia.
Louis Vuitton III was completely dumbfounded when he saw the diplomatic note in his hand. After confirming its contents with the envoy several times, he fainted on the spot.
Not only did the monarch faint, but most of the princes and ministers present also fainted.
The few who remained sober were also quite frightened. In their panic, they had no idea how to react.
As a small country, the County of Corubia has managed to remain independent and continue its lineage to this day after the division of the Empire of Light, which naturally has its unique characteristics.
The fact that I was able to be independent in my early years is because my ancestors were capable.
When the Empire of Light collapsed, Count Corubia was one of the powerful lords.
Unfortunately, his political reaction was rather slow. By the time he realized that the empire's disintegration was inevitable, his neighbors had already completed their first round of alliances.
The proud and arrogant Count of Corubia was unwilling to be subordinate to others, so when the split occurred, he simply decided to go it alone and play by himself.
There were many small independent states, and the County of Corubia was insignificant among them. In addition, the Aslant Continent back then placed more emphasis on rules than it does now. Even when war broke out, everyone used the same number of troops and did not bully others by relying on their superior numbers.
With his family's considerable strength, the Count of Corubia made a name for himself in duels, and the County of Corubia was successfully established.
Later, the Beastfolk invasion war broke out, and some small countries that realized they could not protect themselves began to merge, giving rise to the Alpha Kingdom, the Moxi Duchy, the Warhammer Kingdom, and so on.
The Count of Corubia was also invited, but he declined, thus beginning the County of Corubia.
As time went on, everyone's bottom line was lowered, and life became increasingly difficult for the County of Corubia, which was caught between two major powers.
Fortunately, they were good at judging the situation. When the Alpha Kingdom was powerful, they attached themselves to the Alpha Kingdom; when the Black Forest Kingdom was powerful, they followed Hessen.
While swaying back and forth, they were also particularly adept at interpersonal relationships. Gifts were constantly being sent out throughout the year, and they maintained good relations with the powerful figures of both countries.
Unfortunately, even the best relationships can't withstand the lure of self-interest. The sudden diplomatic note practically sealed the fate of the County of Corubia.
"Manipulating the Cult of the July Association, sending assassins to kill Prince Claude, and attempting to provoke a war between the Alpha Kingdom and the Black Forest Kingdom"—such accusations are truly beyond the capacity of the County of Corubia to bear.
Hand over the murderer?
The problem is, they need a murderer first!
They did nothing, knew nothing, and were immediately slapped with a scapegoat without even a chance to explain. It was clearly aimed at the foundation of the County of Corubia.
Late at night, Louis Vuitton III, waking from a coma, looked at the retainers guarding his bedside and said slowly, "Judging from the contents of the note, the Hessians and the Alpha Kingdom have reached an agreement."
The Bo state is unlikely to survive this calamity.
"Baron Edmonton, immediately select three hundred elite soldiers to escort the prince and princess to the Iberian Kingdom for refuge..."
"Your Highness, we didn't do it. If the Black Forest Kingdom and the Alpha Kingdom want to send people to investigate, then let them investigate!"
We can invite the ministers of various countries on the mainland to supervise this together. In front of everyone, they can't just fabricate evidence and frame someone out of thin air!
Edmonton said indignantly.
This is really too much of a bullying. They did nothing, yet they were unfairly blamed.
"Hmph, evidence!"
The mainland today is not the same as it used to be. From the moment we received this note, the charges against us were already established.
They say we did it, so we did it. We all cooperate and keep up the act to maintain a semblance of dignity.
If we were to expose their true colors and tear off their disguise, they probably wouldn't even leave us with a shred of dignity.
Don't worry, what they want is the County of Corubia. Even if they pin a lot of charges on me, it won't hurt me in the slightest.
Few people dare to bear the crime of regicide!
Alright, Edmonton. You shall immediately escort the prince and princess away and return after the turmoil has subsided.
If nothing unexpected happens, the royal family should still be able to retain a small fiefdom to demonstrate their..."
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