A Lively Banquet

Arguing is pointless; whoever controls the territory makes the rules. No matter how unpleasant the expressions of the Northern Nobles were, the army was still stranded outside the city.

In fact, the essence of the conflict was not whether the army stayed outside the city, but rather stemmed from the deep-seated mutual contempt.

On the surface, it's that the Northern Aristocrats can't stand the hypocrisy of the Southern Aristocrats; Southern Aristocrats can't stand the arrogance of the Northern Aristocrats who think "the Lord of Dawn is the boss and I am the second-in-command."

At its core, it's still a struggle for the kingdom's interests. From the perspective of the Northern Aristocrats, they have defended the frontier against the Beastfolk invasion, achieved great military exploits, and made the greatest sacrifices, so they deserve to take the lion's share of the spoils.

However, the Southern Aristocrats did not see it that way. In every Beastfolk invasion, they all participated with their armies and none of them failed.

Although the Northern Aristocrats bear more of the burden of daily defense, they are not without compensation; the Northern Aristocrats provides them with substantial subsidies every year.

Moreover, they are not the only ones responsible for the defense of the Northern Frontier; there are also 200,000 Standing Army of the kingdom stationed there to guard against Beastfolk Northern Frontier.

This Standing Army was formed by nobles from other regions of the kingdom contributing manpower, money, and supplies.

From the perspective of the southern nobles, the current predicament in the Northern Frontier is entirely the result of the Five Great Families' own self-destructive actions. In fact, some nobles even consider the Five Great Families of the Northern Frontier to be a cancer on the kingdom.

Since its founding, the Alpha Kingdom has been plagued by constant conflict between its north and south. The fact that the two sides haven't completely fallen out is largely thanks to the Beastfolk.

Whenever the Beastfolk launch an invasion, the kingdom's internal conflicts instantly diminish. After each major war, the Alpha Kingdom enjoys decades of peace.

Whether it's due to the Alpha Kingdom's prosperous fortune or just a coincidence, every time internal conflicts within the kingdom reach a critical point, a major war breaks out in the Northern Frontier.

War cannot resolve conflicts, but it can resolve the people who create them. After the war, all sides suffered heavy casualties and were busy licking their wounds, so naturally they had no time to cause trouble.

At the welcome banquet at the Governor's Mansion, everyone was chatting and laughing, as if the small conflict at the city gate had never happened.

If someone observed closely, they would notice that the nobles on the field were divided into two distinct groups. One group consisted of native nobles, while the other group came from the Northern Frontier.

In addition, there are a few people who are detached from both circles and seem out of place.

However, this awkward situation did not last long. After a group of noble ladies and aristocratic young women entered, they quickly found their places.

These people were neither born into the local nobility nor able to integrate into the circle of Northern Aristocrats; rather, they were nobles from other regions of the kingdom.

As an outsider, his ability to survive in the complex situation of Northern Frontier and achieve sufficient military exploits clearly demonstrates that he was no ordinary person.

Wise people always know how to weigh the pros and cons and, not wanting to get involved in the conflict between the Northern Aristocrats and the local nobles, naturally try to avoid it.

Compared to the complexities of politics, chatting with ladies of high society and aristocracy is far more enjoyable.

Drinking fine wine and enjoying delicious food, the group of Northern Aristocrats were quite displeased because they could not see the protagonist, Count Pierce, for a long time.

No matter how bad your mood is, you still have to wear a smile. This is a banquet, and you can't be out of touch with aristocratic etiquette.

Seeing the worried look on his companions' faces, Baron Ciss said with feigned generosity, "Eat as much as you like, these are all good stuff."

Your Governor, you are too kind!

For example, the wine in this glass comes from a royal winery. It is said that every grape used is carefully selected and then blended by a master winemaker.

Because of limited production capacity, each bottle is extremely valuable. Without a certain level of status and wealth, one cannot purchase them even if they wish.

Looking at this golden-brown roasted rabbit, it's made with a snow rabbit from the monster, and the spices sprinkled on it are mostly from overseas, so it certainly won't be cheap.

And this caviar is from a magical beast...

In our northern lands, even for victory celebrations, only viscounts and above are qualified to enjoy them, and even then, supplies are limited.

Now that His Excellency the Governor has gone out of his way to entertain us, what more could you possibly want?

Each sentence, taken individually, sounds like praise, but when put together, they just don't sound right.

The Northern Aristocrats, realizing what was happening, also praised Count Pierce's generosity and magnanimity, while also incorporating the hardships of the Northern Frontier into their narratives.

To ensure more people could hear, they deliberately amplified their voices. The stark contrast was laid bare before everyone.

What was supposed to be a pleasant banquet quickly turned sour, leaving the nobles who had been mocking them as barbarians and bumpkins speechless.

Refute?

People are praising Count Pierce for his generosity and magnanimity; he can't very well come out and deny it, can he?

Flattery is even more unacceptable. If you know the other party is using this as an opportunity to mock you, and you still agree with them, you're slapping Count Pierce in the face.

Trying to stir up trouble and change the subject is inappropriate in this situation! They are guests, and as the host, you should be more tolerant of them.

"It seems that you all have a deep misunderstanding of our Governor! Everyone here is aware of the suffering in the Northern Frontier. For the peace of the Northern Frontier, the nobles of our Southeast Province have made great efforts."

Especially after Count Pierce became Governor, our annual support for the Northern Frontier in terms of manpower, material resources, and financial resources has repeatedly reached new highs.

To boast a bit, one-eighth of the 200,000 Standing Army stationed in the north of the kingdom are supplied by our Southeast Province.

One-eighth of the annual funds and provisions distributed by the kingdom to the Northern Aristocrats are provided by our Southeast Province. It can be said that everyone present is a hero of peace and stability in the Northern Frontier!

As soon as the government official spoke, the previously embarrassed local nobles burst into the loudest applause.

This sudden reversal of fortunes left Baron Ciss feeling extremely uncomfortable. It wasn't that he wanted to cause trouble; the problem was that he was caught in a situation he couldn't control.

The Northern Nobles migrated south appeared to be a unified entity, but in reality, they were comprised of multiple interest groups. Although he was the most powerful, it did not mean that everyone would unanimously elect him as their leader.

The name of the Felix Family is indeed useful, but unfortunately he is only the illegitimate son of the Grand Duke Cavadia, not the legitimate son.

People outwardly give them some face, but that's only because of Grand Duke Cavadia. Deep down, most of them despise him.

To win over the Northern Aristocrats, Ciss must achieve convincing results to gain their support.

Among the many important figures in the Northern Frontier, he wasn't the only illegitimate child. Besides the Grand Duke Cavadia's influence, Ciss's personal abilities were also crucial in securing this opportunity to lead a group of noble sons south.

If he lacked ability, even with the support of the Grand Duke Cavadia, he could not have become a viscount in the Northern Frontier at such a young age.

His background accounts for 99%, while his personal efforts account for at least 1%. Without that 1% effort, his background would have only made him a parasite.

He was willing to lower his rank for this opportunity to go south. Clearly, he wasn't after a baronial title, even though in the eyes of outsiders, a fiefdom baron was more prestigious than a nominal viscount.

Ciss's plan was to create minor conflicts and leverage the pressure from local nobles to unite a group of Northern Aristocrats who had migrated south.

Unfortunately, the plan was too naive, and it encountered a cunning old fox as soon as it began to be implemented.

It's all because of information asymmetry. As political rivals, the bigwigs in the Northern Frontier are already being generous by not smearing their opponents, let alone emphasizing their competitors' contributions in front of their juniors.

Now that the data is out in the open, it immediately puts Ciss on the defensive. Ultimately, they're still too young and lack the thick skin.

"Sir Antonio, you are right, we are all heroes of the kingdom. However, the Beastfolk are now restless, and the next invasion to the south is probably not far off."

Now, the military budget in the Northern Frontier is facing another deficit, and even the great Caesar III is losing sleep over the effort to raise more funds. As nobles of the kingdom, how can we stand idly by?

It doesn't require much effort; as long as everyone cuts back on daily expenses—for example, slightly reducing the scale of banquets— the Northern Frontier can gain another legion.

It's not an exaggeration to say that with thousands of nobles in the Southeast Province working together to save money, supporting a legion would indeed be no problem.

The passive situation was reversed, but Ciss felt no joy whatsoever. This was because Baron Katerley, who had spoken earlier, was one of his rivals. The more outstanding his opponent, the harder it would be for him to gain control of the team.

They are independent of each other, and the nominal leader may seem like a useless figurehead, but in reality, it relates to their future influence in Laite and Huaidun counties, as well as the level of investment from their respective backers.

The Kavadia factor only garnered support Ciss nobles affiliated with the Felix Family; those affiliated with the other four major families would not easily back down.

Nowadays, anyone with a bit of ability wants to compete for the position of team leader. The only difference is that some have already stated their position, while others are still waiting for the right opportunity.

Judging from their ages, it's clear that these noble scions heading south weren't just diversifying their investments, but also partly a training exercise arranged by their powerful backers.

Only the most outstanding children can obtain more resources.