A New Height of Lying Flat

With Hudson as witness, the four parties, after friendly consultations, finally reached a verbal agreement on the stone bridge over Huanhua Stream, ending the conflict in South Wright County.

After the armed parade ended, everyone naturally went home. With so many mouths to feed, the frugal Lord Hudson wouldn't invite anyone to stay for a meal.

Hearing is unreliable, seeing is believing.

Having witnessed the military bearing of the Northern Frontier soldiers firsthand, Hudson finally understood why those guys in the Northern Frontier were able to snatch food from the Dalton Family's jaws.

The private army consisted of only three hundred men, with fifty of them being plate-armored cavalrymen, and even the ordinary infantrymen were all dressed in leather armor.

Even from a distance, one could sense the rising murderous aura; clearly, they had killed many people.

Unlike the subpar elite troops Hudson assembled, who looked impressive in formation and were top-notch at running away, but whose actual combat capabilities he himself was unsure of.

The soldiers were all infantry, and their equipment was only passable in terms of their weapons. There were just over a hundred leather-clad soldiers, and the rest had to make up the numbers with cloth armor.

Fortunately, the other party was a smart person with many thoughts, and was intimidated by the grand aura from the start.

If you happen to run into a stubborn fool who'll start a fight at the drop of a hat, the outcome is really hard to predict.

If it weren't for Hudson, the sharpshooter who could easily pierce the cavalry's armor, even with a numerical advantage of several times, the battle would still have been unwinnable.

Hudson's three hundred veterans were decent, though still some distance from being truly elite. Their undefeated record along the way had boosted the morale of the soldiers.

The eight hundred ragtag followers cobbled together by the three working-class men—Knight Coelho, Knight Roman, and Knight Valov —were nothing but a joke.

Less than half of the able-bodied men were young; the rest were mostly old, young, or even women mixed in to make up the numbers.

A single charge by fifty plate-armored cavalry would likely be enough to wipe them out; ordinary archers couldn't penetrate plate armor. Any success they achieve would depend entirely on the blessing of the Lord of Dawn.

Without a doubt, the families behind the Northern Aristocrats have spared no expense in this southward expedition. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy to gather such valuable equipment.

It's likely that from the very beginning, they considered the problem of soldiers being far from home and difficult to replace.

One can imagine that if all the Northern Aristocrats were in this kind of lineup, the local nobles of Laite and Huaidun counties would likely suffer a great loss this time.

However, Hudson remained calm. The strength of the plate cavalry lay in the flat plains.

Although the Mountain Territory consisted of only a group of small mounds, it was still a huge problem for the cavalry.

I doubt anyone would be foolish enough to leave their precious cavalry under the noses of the "Divine Bow Knight".

If there are too few of them, we can't withstand their destructive power; if there are too many, we'll have to worry about them being used as kites. The speed of the Earth Bear is far beyond that of a warhorse.

While they themselves were unharmed, the other fiefdom lords were in dire straits. The vast, flat plains were practically a battlefield tailor-made for cavalry.

It seems that not only should ordinary broadswords and spears be produced, but also extended versions of spears, battle swords specifically designed to cut off horses' legs, and even war hammers and giant axes should be prepared.

When facing plate-armored cavalry, these heavy weapons are clearly more effective. Even if they don't achieve their goal immediately, they can try again.

Moreover, everything has two sides. Elite troops are indeed powerful, but their cost of maintaining them is also high.

Ordinary serf soldiers only needed to be fed; as long as they were full, they would fight wherever their lord directed. Elite troops, however, not only needed to be fed, but they also needed to be well-fed, as inadequate nutrition would compromise their combat effectiveness.

Those who participate in the robbery will receive a share, and those who make contributions will be rewarded. If these tasks are not done well, it will be impossible to motivate everyone to fight.

On the way back, Baron Katerley, who was equally shocked, secretly rejoiced more than once that he had managed to avoid disaster.

Troops that move with perfect uniformity are rare even in the Northern Frontier. Any unit capable of this is undoubtedly among the elite of the elite.

Although Hudson's troops were all infantry, Baron Katerley dared not underestimate them. He had personally witnessed how an elite infantry force could slaughter Beastfolk Wolf Riders on the battlefield.

"Uncle Holman, we must speed things up. While we've just reached an agreement with the Mountain Baron, we need to take drastic measures against the other families immediately, lest we prolong the situation and cause new trouble."

If the Coslo Family could train a super elite infantry force, what about other noble families with even deeper foundations?

Perhaps this wasn't an isolated case, but rather that we underestimated the power of the nobles in the Southeast Province. After all, their wealth far surpasses that of the northern regions.

If you're willing to invest, you can create elite troops by throwing money at it. Even if their fighting strength isn't as great as Baron Hudson's private army, it can still rival that of ordinary elite troops.

If we don't create a fait accompli before they realize what's happening, who knows how many more people will step in to mediate later.

It's easy to keep putting on a show of face, but what about the future development of the territory? Without enough population, we can barely support our army.

A clear head is essential; you don't realize how high the daily expenses are until you're in charge. To support three hundred elite troops, you'd need three to five thousand subjects to make ends meet.

This is only in theory; in reality, a nobleman's expenses go far beyond military spending. Daily social interactions and interpersonal relationships are also money-devouring beasts.

If you have more children, the expenses will be even greater. Daily cultivation, weddings, and funerals all add up to a considerable amount of money.

It's fine if the family doesn't separate and lives together, but if they do separate and the eldest son inherits the family business, they can't just watch the younger sons go out and eat chaff and wild vegetables, can they?

The Northern Aristocrats maintained large armies because, faced with the threat of foreign enemies, they had no choice but to engage in militarism and could not care about the so-called noble dignity.

Since everyone's financial situation was not good, they naturally kept everything simple in their daily lives. Not only did they reduce daily social interactions and interpersonal relationships, but they also saved money on weddings and funerals as much as possible.

If the nobles of the Southeast Province were to abandon their extravagant and comfortable lives and join the Northern Aristocrats in waging wars, their military capabilities would be significantly improved in just a few years.

An accidental misunderstanding led Baron Katerley to misjudge the strength of the nobles in the Southeast Province, which in turn accelerated the battle to recruit them.

Previously, the local nobles were plundering the fiefdoms of the Northern Nobles, but now the situation has reversed. The local nobles, who initially held the upper hand, quickly fell into a disadvantageous position in the head-on military struggle.

In an instant Laite and Huaidun counties were engulfed in flames of war, and countless local nobles were tragically taken prisoner, awaiting ransom payments from their families.

The Coslo Family was also affected, but the unfortunate ones were not Baron Berrio, who had just inherited the title and was in a weakened state, but Knight Guarente.

They were too law-abiding and did not join the talent war. With the strong support of their families, they were temporarily spared from the turmoil.

On the contrary, Knight Adrian, who was doing quite well, suffered a brutal beating from society, with several neighbors coming to his door to teach him a lesson. It was all because he had been too reckless before; now it's just a matter of fortunes turning around.

There was no other way. As the youngest member of the Dalton Family, he had been instructed by his elder brother that Knight Adrian must act as the vanguard against the Northern Aristocrats.

Previously, they received land because of the Dalton Family; now, they are suffering the cruelest social beatings because of the same Dalton Family.

Of course, to say it was really that bad would be pure nonsense. From the very beginning, Adrian was prepared to face the backlash.

The people they had captured were not brought back to the territory, but were instead transferred to family branches outside the two counties for foster care.

Not only were the people relocated, but their families, valuables, and even their army were also left outside. After the conflict broke out, only Knight Adrian and a group of the elderly and infirm remained in the territory.

Knight Adrian, who simply gave up, may seem to have suffered the cruelest blow from society, but in reality, his losses were minimal.

When the Northern Aristocrats came to him, he willingly became a prisoner. However, Adrian vehemently denied leading troops to seize him.

Since everyone was a nobleman, they couldn't be subjected to torture. Even if they became prisoners of war, they were treated to good wine and meat.

The territory was populated entirely by the elderly and infirm, with only about a hundred or so people in total. To accuse him of leading troops to rob people, they need to provide evidence!

No matter how powerful the Northern Aristocrats were, they had no way to cross regions and go to the territories of other branches of the Coslo Family to search for evidence.

Unfortunately, Knight Adrian showed no remorse as a prisoner. He not only ate and drank as usual, but also kept demanding an explanation from the Northern Aristocrats who had captured him.

Hudson admitted that the idea of giving up was his. It was the best way to avoid dragging the Coslo Family into the mess while still giving the Dalton Family an explanation.

But no one expected that Knight Adrian would be so cunning. Even though they had let him go and promised not to pursue the matter further, he still refused to leave, determined to seek justice for his tragic experience.

He may have lost face, but he now certainly has the leverage to cause trouble. He was originally the one stirring up trouble, but now he's become the victim.

Hudson need not worry about what happens next; even the Coslo Family can turn a blind eye.

Now all the nobles in the Southeast Province are watching. Their little brother has been wronged for no reason. If the Dalton Family doesn't step up, how can they have the nerve to stay in the circle?