King
Chapter 1014 - 1014 133 The Most Simple Duel Seeking Monthly Votes

1014: Chapter 133: The Most Simple Duel (Seeking Monthly Votes) 1014: Chapter 133: The Most Simple Duel (Seeking Monthly Votes) “Marshal, reinforcements have now arrived; when shall we engage the enemy in battle?”

Count Orlan asked anxiously.

At such a time, coming over to inquire clearly hinted at forcing a palace coup.

If possible, he wouldn’t wish to do this.

But within the circle of nobility, one often lacks control over their actions.

As a member of the Northern aristocracy, to mix in this circle, one must stand together with everyone.

Under the deterrence of Hudson, the emerging nobility dared not act rashly, and Count Orlan, who had a special relationship with him, was pushed to the forefront.

Count Orlan had no choice; he had to be the spokesperson.

If anyone else came forward and negotiations fell through carelessly, they might accidentally die on the battlefield at any moment.

Members of the Koslow Family could also become “representatives,” but those young nobles were too low in status and position; their words carried no weight, making Count Orlan the most suitable candidate.

“Your Excellency, you are so impatient!”

Hudson said irritably.

Just as the reinforcements arrived, he came over to urge him to deploy troops and battle the enemy; who was supposed to be the commander here?

Historically, those who encroached on the commander’s authority never ended well.

After so many years of fighting in the south and north, Hudson had become accustomed to life and death, and his mindset had long since hardened.

If the nobles from the Northern Border played any tricks, he would not be lenient.

“Marshal, it’s not that everyone lacks patience; it’s just that we can’t hold on any longer!

In the rush to evacuate, we had to abandon most of our possessions; the losses of the Northern Territory Lords were substantial.

Now it’s still bearable as it’s summer; we can just put up some straw sheds.

But what about a few months from now, with millions of large families to take care of?”

Count Orlan explained with a mournful face.

Being a Noble Lord is not easy.

While enjoying wealth, one must also bear corresponding responsibilities.

Organizing the domain people to retreat was just the beginning of the troubles; after the evacuation, they still had to take care of the livelihoods of the people of their territories.

In fact, during the evacuation process, everyone had already paid a heavy price.

In the hurried flight for life, not only did they lose a lot of property, but many lives were lost too—nearly one-fifth of the people died on the way.

This was partly because the population of the Seven Northern Provinces consisted of migrants with a lower proportion of the elderly and weak; otherwise, the losses would have been even greater.

They had no choice; however severe the losses, it was better than complete annihilation.

To cover the retreat of the people, the Kingdom’s Army also paid a considerable cost.

In the Continent of Aslante, serfs were also considered the private property of nobles.

According to common principles, whoever owns the wealth has to protect it; there was almost no chance of rescue from the Kingdom.

Apart from the help provided by the Kingdom’s Army during the evacuation, the rest essentially had to be managed by the nobles themselves.

Hudson fully understood the mindset of the Northern aristocracy; waking up every day to uncountable mouths crying for food, nobody could endure a continuous depletion of resources.

Especially for some minor nobles with limited resources, if the Kingdom couldn’t regain the lost territories soon, their only option would be to sell off their serfs.

It’s easy to sell serfs, but replenishing them would be hard.

A territory without people, even if retaken, would be worthless.

“Your Excellency, if the Hollis family faces difficulties, the Koslow Family can provide some assistance, but this should not influence our decisions in warfare.

The current pain is only temporary.

It might be harsh, but there will always be a way to solve it.

If the Kingdom is defeated, our territories would truly be lost.

Do not count on the Human Alliance to support us; times have changed!”

Hudson said calmly.

Having taken investors’ venture capital, now that the business has succeeded, it’s natural to deliver a return.

However, this was limited to the Hollis family; the other nobles of the Northern Frontier had no relationship with him.

Hudson wasn’t afraid of criticism; the Koslow Family was also a victim, and its branch in the Northern Border suffered heavy losses along with everyone else.

The collateral branches, unable to bear the losses, could seek help from the family, and other nobles could do the same.

Apart from a few families who made a desperate venture to develop in the Northern Border, there were only a handful of grassroots nobles without familial support.

Compared to the entire noble system of the Northern Border, these nobles accounted for less than one-tenth of the total.

If calculating the losses, currently, the Royal Family should be the one suffering the most.

Suddenly losing territories of three provinces added hundreds of thousands of refugees stretching out their hands for food.

The fact that Caesar IV wasn’t in a hurry showed that these losses were still within everyone’s tolerance.

After all, the Kingdom’s abundant experience in taking blows was truly able to steel one’s mindset.

The Capital had fallen more than once; what’s more, just losing a few Border Provinces.

Count Orlan opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.

Gaining that promise was already good enough; to continue the topic would be asking for dislike.

For the benefit of his colleagues, adversely impacting the relationship with his son-in-law was clearly not worth it.

After hesitating for a while, Count Orlan, as if realizing something, said somewhat awkwardly, “Hudson, I really need your help with something.

We can deal with other issues, but the key problem is the rapid inflation in the Northland; a pound of rye can sell for a price of eighteen copper coins, almost catching up to the price of beef!”

The change from formal to personal address also meant that official matters had turned into private matters.

The originally tense atmosphere suddenly eased.