Military Conference of Northwind Province

Military Conference of Northwind Province

When Ryan returned to the Frozen Earth Territory with grain and warhorses, Rosen had already returned two days earlier. He had also brought back Viscount Dragoon's reply.

"Deal."

Those two words meant that the Viscount had agreed to the warhorses and grain Ryan had requested in his letter.

"Not bad. This warhorse is yours from now on."

Ryan patted Rosen on the shoulder in satisfaction. Rosen had represented Baron Ryan in meeting a Viscount. He represented Ryan's dignity and the Frozen Earth Territory. If he had performed poorly, the Viscount would never have fully met Ryan's demands. He would have haggled like Miles instead.

Rosen looked immensely proud, as if Ryan's pat on the shoulder were already an exceptionally great reward.

With grain secured, the weight hanging over Ryan's heart finally lifted. The Frozen Earth Territory could at last accelerate its sweeping development and transformation.

"When we build roads next year, we can transport swamp soil from the Swampland into the fields to boost the vitality of the farmland. The Mountain Forest in the south can also be developed into orchards. Since ordinary trees can survive so tenaciously in the cold wind, fruit trees should be able to survive as well."

Standing in the future Northgar Castle, Ryan held a hot-water bottle made of birch bark and gazed at his territory with satisfaction. At the foot of the mountain, Brandt was training more than a hundred soldiers.

He was teaching them the basic techniques of the combat skills he had comprehended from the Deer Spirit's Blessing. That would greatly help those soldiers break through to Bronze Knight in the future.

Even if they could not, Agile Steps could still drastically increase the soldiers' combat strength on the battlefield.

On the distant mountains, more than a thousand slaves were working diligently to reclaim farmland. After returning, Ryan announced additional slots for slaves to become commoners. The first ten slots would receive eighteen months of tax exemption.

As for tax exemptions, Ryan did not particularly care. As the new Baron of Northwind Province, his territory did not need to pay taxes to the Empire for ten years.

Of course, this applied solely to the lord's own territory, which did not pay taxes in the first place. The ones who paid taxes were the commoners within the territory and various other groups.

The Freemen paid their taxes to the lord, who then handed them over to the Empire.

But this still counted as territorial tax. The Empire's tax exemption policy did not extend to the commoners. They still had to pay taxes; it was simply that during the exemption period, the lord kept the money himself instead of giving it to the Empire.

So whether Ryan wanted such petty profits depended entirely on his mood. Only once the territory had more inhabitants would tax revenue become meaningful.

What lords and minor nobles truly needed to give out was tribute.

Duke, Marquess, Count, Viscount, Baron—the five Noble Titles. The nobles and lords beneath them all had to offer tribute to the imperial family and the great nobles. It was also a form of inheritance within the Empire.

Take Ryan, for instance. As the lord of the Frozen Earth Territory and a Baron, he came from the Clayton Family, and the Clayton Family was a Count Family. Every year, he needed to give a sum of money to the Clayton Family. For one, it strengthened the connection between both sides. Though they had branched off, they were still family, and they stood on the same side in the Empire's political struggles.

When trouble came, they could argue their case. When nothing happened, they could show off.

There was no fixed amount for this tribute. It depended entirely on how prosperous the territory was.

Some lords could only produce a few hundred Gold Coins, while others could squander tens of thousands.

Ryan felt that the Clayton Family had surely never intended to collect money from him, so he simply did not pay it.

What the Frozen Earth Territory had once been like—Ryan, as its lord, was probably the last person to learn about it.

"I also asked Irina to look into Count Clayton, but I probably won't hear anything until spring next year."

With grain in hand, the Frozen Earth Territory became even more peaceful.

But as half a month passed, the atmosphere in Northwind Province grew increasingly grim.

Many lords had already received word that the orcs would march south this year, and that the infamous Black Goat Orcs would be leading the invasion of Northwind Province.

Northwind Great City.

As Northwind Province's only great city, it was home to more than four hundred thousand commoners. Vast fertile fields stretched beyond its walls, making it the most fertile land in Northwind Province.

Northwind Province's governor was the Winter Count Family. Count Winter had followed Grand Duke Mayers in conquering Northwind Province, and he was the only Count who had remained in Northwind Province after emerging victorious from the political struggles. Every year, the taxes from Northwind City alone earned the Winter Family an unknown number of Gold Coins.

Not to mention that the Winter Family also controlled the largest Iron Ore and copper mines in Northwind Province. Deep within the mines, they had even built the Winter Family's manor and an impregnable fortress.

At this moment, in the governor's hall of Northwind City, Count Winter, who still looked middle-aged, watched the nobles take their seats before speaking.

"All right, quiet down."

Everyone quickly fell silent, and only then did the Count speak again.

"All the nobles of the province have arrived, correct?"

The nobles in the hall looked at one another. The noble circle was small, and there were only so many nobles in a province. Everyone knew each other.

It seemed they had not noticed anyone missing.

At that moment, Viscount Miles rose to his feet with Kristan's help.

He was not only a Viscount, but also the prefect of Zero Crossing Prefecture, one of the most powerful nobles in Northwind Province.

"Reporting to the governor, Baron Ryan Clayton of the Frozen Earth Territory in Zero Crossing Prefecture has not arrived. Perhaps he will not be coming."

Upon hearing the surname Clayton, quite a few nobles exchanged glances, seeing the surprise in each other's eyes. Some of the more influential nobles looked toward Count Winter and Viscount Miles, their thoughts unreadable.

"That miserable place called the Frozen Earth Territory—if the orcs went there to plunder, they would starve to death. What does it matter whether the Baron of the Frozen Earth comes or not?"

The speaker sat among the nobles from Zero Crossing Prefecture. He was also a middle-aged man, none other than Zero Crossing Prefecture's other Viscount, Viscount Dragoon.

"Arraker, this military conference is for all the nobles of Northwind Province. No one can stay out of it. The orcs are marching south. As nobles, we should charge forward bravely, not hide behind others. Otherwise, what gives us the right to call ourselves noble?"

Though Viscount Miles was old, his voice remained resounding. His words, backed by centuries of heritage, indeed won the approval of many.

If someone refused to participate in the province-wide military conference, were they trying to isolate themselves?

"Hide behind others? Is there any territory here closer to the orcs than the Frozen Earth Territory?"

Dragoon did not fear Viscount Miles in the slightest, and he had supporters at his side as well.

As the two Viscounts continued their dispute, this military conference, which should have been discussing how to resist the orcs, quickly divided into two factions.

Anyone who understood history could clearly see that one faction consisted of nobles native to this land of Northwind Province who had once submitted to the Empire, while the other consisted of nobles who had traveled north from the Empire's South and put down roots here.

"Enough!"

In the end, seeing that no conclusion could be reached, Count Winter shot Viscount Miles a dissatisfied look before turning his gaze toward the other two men.

Northwind Province had three Counts in total. These two had both once been Counts of this land. Mayers could not possibly have killed every noble on this land; after all, everyone was connected by marriage to some extent.