Undercurrents Strike
In Dadir City, gazing at the vast expanse of collapsed city walls, Baron Ciss seriously doubted whether he had come to the wrong place.
Forcing himself to suppress his anger, he walked to the city gate, which was covered in cobwebs. Looking at the half-finished plaque hanging on the city tower, the barely legible character "Da" proved that this was his territory.
The original iron gate has long since vanished. Perhaps it has already been melted down in a blacksmith's shop in some noble's territory and forged into various farm tools.
With the facade in such a state, there's no point in expecting anything from the interior. The thick layer of dust on the ground clearly indicates that this is a ghost town.
Despite being mentally prepared, the scene before him still enraged Baron Ciss. It was simply too much, leaving him with absolutely no hope.
Without a single subject, no matter how many plans he had in his mind, he had no room to put them into practice.
Similar scenes are playing out in countless territories. Not only are the inhabitants robbed, but even the infrastructure within the territories that can be destroyed is completely destroyed.
This is a classic example of harming others without benefiting oneself.
Normally, even if nobles have grudges, they wouldn't go to such extremes.
But this time it's different, because it involves the "Northern Great Houses," which means both old and new grudges will be settled together.
Over the years, the Northern Frontier has claimed the lives of too many nobles. While bloodshed on the battlefield is one thing, many of the casualties stemmed from internal strife, resulting in unnecessary losses.
Without a doubt, this debt will ultimately be attributed to the Northern Great Houses, even though many of them are innocent, but no one will listen to their explanations.
The reason is very simple: the Five Great Families of the Northern Frontier had the worst reputation among the nobility. They enjoyed the massive mergers back then, but their reputations were permanently ruined.
Despite their efforts to whitewash their past, the results have been minimal. At least the nobles who lost their ancestral property and were forced into exile will carry on the legacy of the Five Great Families.
With the Dalton Family fueling the fire behind the scenes, it's not surprising that people, in their anger and indignation, did something extreme.
After a quick cleanup of the city gate, Ciss, suppressing his anger, led his men into the city. Everything was exactly as he had anticipated the worst-case scenario: the once-prosperous Dadir City was now a ruin.
The Dalton Family excelled at this principle: if they couldn't have it, they would destroy it. They didn't want any competitors in the Southeast Province that could threaten their position.
When the Governor's Mansion evacuated Dadir City, they destroyed everything they could, and finally set it on fire.
All actions had only one purpose: to make it more difficult for the Northern Nobles to establish themselves in the Southeast Province.
Although the methods were despicable, the results were indeed remarkable. Rebuilding territory from ruins requires a substantial investment of manpower, resources, and capital.
This expense was especially burdensome for the Northern Nobles, whose economy was already not very wealthy. At the very least, the funds that the noble sons who had migrated south carried with them were insufficient to complete the task of rebuilding their territories.
Whether or not to ask their families for help became a common dilemma for the Northern Aristocrats. Asking their families for help so soon would inevitably make them lose face in front of their elders; but if they didn't ask for help, where would the money come from?
Especially for the lower and middle nobility, there are even more issues to consider. The funds required for the reconstruction of their territories are too great, and even if they ask their families for help, they may not be able to raise enough funds.
In other regions, nobles might only allocate 30-40% of their total income to military spending, with the more powerful ones contributing 50-60%. Any more than that would lead them down the path of militarism and aggression.
With constant friendly matches against Beastfolk, no Northern Nobles could avoid having their military expenses skyrocket; fiscal deficits were commonplace. Military expenditures far exceeded territorial income—it was simply routine.
They didn't go bankrupt because of financial problems; it's because they have troops at their disposal, and if pushed too far, they'll just rob and seize.
Don't think that only Beastfolk raid the Alpha Kingdom; nobles from the Northern Frontier region also frequently visit Beastfolk tribes.
However, compared to humans, Beastfolk tribes are much less economically developed and can plunder far less valuable goods. Often, the most valuable possessions in a Beastfolk tribe are actually the Beastfolk themselves.
Of course, noble nobles would never engage in slave trading, and besides, their conscience wouldn't allow it. In the Church's faith, this was a crime punishable by death.
Therefore, slaves were usually handed over to merchants for labor after being captured. It was as if adding an extra step could smooth over their conscience.
"What?"
"You're saying my people were robbed by an army?"
"I can't believe it, "Ciss asked.
Originally, I just wanted to find out what had happened in my own territory, but I didn't expect to get such unexpected news.
Looting and pillaging are nothing new, but that was during wartime. To send troops to forcibly seize one's people after a war is a violation of morality. Even if the lord hasn't yet taken office, it's still a provocation.
Baron Ciss, who was full of anger and had nowhere to vent his frustration, was surprised to find that an opportunity had come knocking on his door.
Grand Duke Cavadia taught him from a young age that everything else is illusory, only the strength in one's hands is real. As long as you have strength, lacking anything is not a problem.
With a ready-made excuse, it was perfectly reasonable for him to lead his troops to demand an explanation.
The only problem is that the timing of the news was too coincidental, as if there was a dark hand behind the scenes manipulating everything.
The shady business of leading troops to seize people is best kept as low-key as possible, and those involved will inevitably try to cover it up.
It's not surprising that local nobles were able to find out, but for these outsiders without any connections to receive the news so easily is too much of a coincidence.
In contrast, Baron Ciss was more inclined to believe that someone had deliberately let him know the news in order to incite conflict between him and his neighbors.
Whether or not to take advantage of the situation is a question worth considering. Although confident in his own strength, Ciss doesn't believe he's truly invincible.
No matter how poorly equipped the nobles of the Southeast Province are militarily, they are still local strongmen who have been operating there for many years. If a war really breaks out, who knows how many relatives and friends will rush to their aid.
If you accidentally kick a hornet's nest, you're finished. For a powerful dragon to suppress a local snake, the prerequisite is that it cannot lose.
If you can't even beat the local bullies, how can you talk about suppressing them?
Similar scenes kept repeating themselves with every Northern Aristocrats migrated south. Anyone with a brain would more or less sense that something was amiss.
The question of whether to go with the flow and pull off a heist lingered in everyone's minds, yet they couldn't make up their minds for a long time.
However, faced with harsh reality, people's true thoughts involuntarily lean towards "making a fuss over the issue".
Upon receiving this shocking news, Baron Katerley of Maple Leaf Town was also filled with worry.
Compared to other lords, he was less fortunate, as he encountered a powerful neighbor.
If it weren't for the fact that the other enclaves were too limited and far less prosperous than Maple Leaf Town, he would have liked to move his business to another location.
Despite his skepticism about the "elite" troops described by the nobles of the Southeast Province, the cautious Baron Katerley remained unwilling to take the risk.
After all, everything else could be fabricated. But the Holy See Cavalry as a stepping stone was something that couldn't be faked.
Even though the soldiers under his command were all trained on the Northern Frontier Battlefield, he did not believe they could be stronger than the Holy See Cavalry.
Perhaps there were other factors involved in that victory, but unfortunately Baron Katerley had limited information and all he could find out was what the nobles were bragging about.
Three hundred elite troops versus six hundred elite troops. Even if the enemy's army was not fully equipped, the title of "Divine Bow Knight" and the underage Earth Bear made Baron Katerley somewhat unsure of himself.
As a nobleman who had fought his way up from the battlefield, Baron Katerley was not lacking in the spirit of the brave prevailing in a narrow encounter, but reason told him that it was not worth it.
Based on the data comparison on paper, we are at a disadvantage. Even if we manage to win, we will most likely suffer heavy losses.
Unlike Baron Ciss, who was the illegitimate son of the Grand Duke, he came from a middle-class noble family that was dependent on the Five Great Families and did not have as many resources available to him.
He was able to lead three hundred elite troops south, a feat he had painstakingly accumulated over time. To support this force, Kateryn had ventured deep into the Orc Empire more than once.
If he were to lose all his hard-earned wealth over a single conflict, he would be devastated. As an outsider, there's no way to replenish the losses suffered in Wright County.
"Uncle Holman, what's the background of this Coslo Family? They seem familiar, like I've heard of them somewhere before."